It runs in the family
by Mr. D 91
Summary: [Takes place after the third game] In order to defeate the new and evil Dr. Heinous, our heroes have to team up with the villain's only living relative......Dr. Nefarious. [Complete. Editing canceled or put on hold]
1. An unknown scientist

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter One: An unknown scientist**

In an unknown ship's cockpit, viewing the Starship Phoenix from a safe distance, an unknown, insane scientist was pacing back and fort, talking to himself.

The scientist was wearing a dark green jumpsuit. He looked exactly like Dr. Nefarious' organic form, but with a small patch of hair exactly on top of his pointy head, a bit shorter, different clothes and a deeper voice when heard.

"How could my stepbrother fail? How could he loose to a lombax, a tiny robot and that butt-chinned moron Captain Qwark?" he asked himself.

Raising his fists in anger, he yelled, "How, how, HOW?" and smashed his fists on the controls in a powerful rage. "Ouch!" he yelled. "Albert!"

"Yes, sir?" came a voice from another room.

"Albert, come. I need some ice for my hand!" the scientist bellowed.

A small blarg came into the room with and ice bag. He was wearing a butler's uniform.

"Evil rants again, sir?" he asked.

The scientist, massaging his hand with the ice, said, "Oh Albert, I still can't get over the fact that Vince couldn't beat the squishies."

"'Vince'?"

"Nefarious' first name."

"Oh. I never heard his first name before."

"Anyway, his plan was brilliant. He took every precaution and yet, he still lost the battle to destroy all the squishies."

"Aren't we 'squishies', sir?"

The scientist didn't answer. What Albert had said made him think.

"Sir?" asked Albert.

"Quiet Albert, I'm thinking."

"Oh, sor--"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

After a minute of silence, the scientist stood up and yelled, "I've got it!"

The sudden yell made Albert fall backwards. "Got what, sir?" he asked.

"No time to explain," the scientist said, grabbing the ship's controls.

"Where are we going, sir?"

"To Planet Aridia! I'm going to finish what my stepbrother started."

The ship then zoomed into space, leaving nothing but a blue light behind.

* * *

R&R. This is my first fan fic, so no flames please. 


	2. A robot and his butler

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

Thank you Rynobuster, Ganheim, Andrew Snyder, Illu and Nezdreg for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Two: A robot and his butler**

Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence had been stranded on the asteroid for several months. To pass the time, they played games.

(Author's Note: Lawrence always won)

"Ready?" asked Lawrence.

"Ready," said Nefarious.

"**Rock, Paper, Scissors!" **they yelled in unison.

"Damn, Lawrence! You won again. How do you do that?"

"Well, sir, when I started playing this game, I practised on an idiot for two weeks until I got it right."

"Hmmmm. That's funny Lawrence; we've been playing this game for two weeks."

"I know."

For the billionth time, Dr. Nefarious had failed to notice that Lawrence was, indirectly, calling him stupid. He went to his rocky 'bed', lade on his back and put his hands behind his pointy head and stared at the stars. "How long has it been Lawrence?" he asked.

"I believe it's been four hundred and fifty-three days, sir," Lawrence replied, playing with one of the electric guitar's strings left behind after Nefarious smashed it because the name 'Ratchet' had been mentioned.

"That long?" asked Nefarious with a bit of surprise in his voice. "One day, when we'll be in range, I shall return and fulfil my destiny! TO DESTROY ALL THE SQUISHIES IN THE SOLONA GALAXY!.!.!.!.!.!"

"_IF_ we're ever in range, sir," Lawrence corrected.

"Whatever," answered Nefarious.

Pause.

"Lawrence?"

"Sir?"

"How will we ever be in range? No planet exists this far outside Solana. And it's been four hundred and fifty-three days."

"Then we'll have to hope that a ship passes by or some of our remaining robots find us."

"I hope it happens soon Lawrence, I really hope so."

* * *

This chapter is totally unnecessary, but I wanted readers to see how Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence were doing. 


	3. Dr Heinous

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Dr. Heinous**

The scientist's ship landed in Outpost X9 on Planet Aridia. This outpost was just one gigantic crater, with little vegetation and no animal activity.

A few minutes later, the scientist and Albert walked out of the ship.

"Okay sir, we're here. Now, can you please tell me _why_ we are here?" asked Albert, trying to keep up with the scientist's fast walking.

"I'll tell you once we get inside," replied the scientist.

The blarg grunted.

The two walked up to a rather small door. The scientist punched the wall and a small compartment opened, reviling a key board. The scientist typed the password too fast for Albert to follow. Then a second compartment opened, reviling an eye scan. The scientist went up to it and opened his right eye as wide as possible. The eye scan scanned his small optic and a third compartment opened on the wall, reviling a microphone.

The scientist approached the microphone and said, in a plain voice, "Dr. Heinous."

Suddenly another compartment opened from the ceiling and a robotic arm came out and pointed a Devastator at Albert.

"And guest," said Dr. Heinous. With that, the arm went back into its compartment.

(Author's Note: Yes, I know this scene is copied from Pixar's film, 'The Incredibles')

The door then opened. Inside was a small, dome-shaped laboratory. There was a single desk with a computer. The wall was painted purple and green and had shelves everywhere and each one had bottles and beakers all over, except for one space that had a mirror. There was one door at the far end of the lab with a sign on it, saying 'BATHROOM'. On the right, there was a small holo-vid and a single sofa. Dr. Heinous walked to the desk and Albert followed.

"Now sir, can you please tell me what is going on?" asked Albert, inches away from losing his temper.

"Well Albert, this is my secret laboratory, which I bought when you were on your vacation," Heinous explained.

"Okay, can you tell me what we are doing here?" asked Albert, calming down.

"Vince's plan was one of the very few brilliant things he ever thought of. It was great. So great, that I'm going to turn us into robots so we can finish what he started."

"Hold on. Are you telling me that we came here to transform ourselves into robots?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

"Because such plans like the Bioblitarator shouldn't be wasted. Think, Albert, we could rule an entire galaxy of robots."

"I still think the idea is rather stupid, sir."

"You THINK the idea is stupid, but I KNOW it isn't!"

Albert started rubbing his chin. "Hmmmm. I don't know, sir."

Dr. Heinous started circling Albert, in an almost 'stalk and pounce' fashion. "No more itches, no more sickness, no more hunger, no more thirst, no more bathing, no more allergies, no more sun burns, we'll be able to breath anywhere we want, no more 'I'm hot', no more, 'I'm cold', no more pain and, most of all we'll be immortal," Heinous said.

Albert gave in. "Alright, sir, you win. But how will we transform ourselves into robots? With the Biobliterator?"

"No. The Biobliterator creates a signal that makes whatever it transforms obey Dr. Nefarious. Besides, the Biobliterator's destroyed. Instead we'll have to turn ourselves into robots with my own inventions."

"How?"

"In school, I specialized in making transformation devices. I'm sure I can cook up something good. All I'll need is a test subject, just in case the transformation has any bad side effects."

Albert gulped, "And you test subject would be…."

"Don't worry, Albert, I won't use you. You're my butler and I can't afford to loose such a good one."

Albert gave a sigh of relief. "Oh that's good, sir. What will the test subject be then?"

"I'll need you to go and fetch a sand shark for me. While you're doing that, I'll be getting the ingredients required for the transformation."

"But sand sharks bite, sir!"

"Then use these," Dr. Heinous tossed a pair of Magneboots to Albert. "Good luck getting a sand shark." He then went to a cupboard, opened it and pulled out an O2 mask, a Taunter, a Blaster, a pair of Grindboots, a bag filled with bolts, some Nano packs, a Bomb Glove and a Quack-O-Ray. He then put everything in a single backpack.

"What are those for?" asked Albert.

"Some ingredients will be hard to get. I just want to make sure I'm not totally defenceless," replied Heinous.

The scientist and blarg left the lab.

"Where exactly are you going, sir?"

"Let's see," said Heinous, scratching his head, trying to think, "First I'll be going to Planet Orxon, then Planet Hoven, then Planet Aquatos, then Planet Pokitaru, then Planet Florana, then Planet, Quartu and lastly, Planet Magmose."

"You've got quite a trip, sir."

"And you've got quite a sand shark hunt. So get to it!"

"But, sir. Which way is it to Outpost X11?"

"Do you see that cave, over there?" Heinous asked, pointing towards a cave. "That cave will take you to Outpost X11."

"Right away, sir," with that the butler walked off, heading for the cave that led to Outpost X11, while Heinous jumped into his ship and zoomed off into space, heading for Planet Orxon.

* * *

A rather boring chapter. Don't worry, I'll write about Ratchet (eventually). 


	4. Nefarious' diary

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

Thanks Clank, Illu, Mr. Grae, Nezdreg and Delta-62 Scorch for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Nefarious' diary**

Three hours later, the scientist and the blarg met outside the small lab.

"Oh my! Sir, what happened to you?" asked Albert, rather worried at the site of Heinous.

Heinous was carrying a bag, which looked like it'd explode, if anything else were to be placed in it. He smelt like polluted lava that had been dipped in salt water. Every part of him that was exposed to the air, including his clothes, was covered in black soot. His left leg was bleeding; one would notice this from the red stain on the jumpsuit's leg. He had a long scratch on his face. He was also shivering.

"First I went to Planet Orxon and ended up smelling terrible. Then I went to Planet Hoven and got bitten in leg by one of those ankle biters, resulting in hypothermia, don't worry, I already took something for that. I then went to Planet Aquatos and got ambushed by ameoboids and ended up smelling worse. On Planet Pokitaru, I almost drowned. Those damn tribesmen almost sliced me with their boomerangs on Planet Florana. Fortunately, nothing happened on Planet Quartu. And finally, I almost got my ass melted on Planet Magmose," Heinous explained in one breath.

"That's interesting."

"What about you, Albert? You don't look so good yourself."

Albert's trousers were torn up to his knees. His legs and ankles had received many bites and were bleeding. The Magneboots were still okay though. The short blarg had a sack with something inside. It was struggling, trying to get free.

"Well, sir. I went to get the sand shark, like you said, and was attacked by a group of the scrappy creatures. They bit me countless times. Eventually, I managed to capture one and run away. Those sand sharks may bite, but they're slow runners."

"Well, at least, we got everything we need. Let's go inside. We'll start after I have a shower."

The two made their way into the lab and Dr. Heinous went for a shower, while Albert dumped the sand shark into a tank.

When Dr. Heinous returned to the main room, Albert was watching _Secret Agent Clank_ on the holo-vid.

"Albert, quit watching that garbage and let's get started," said Heinous.

Albert grunted. _Secret Agent Clank_ was one of the few holo-vid programs he ever watched. He also watched the News and _Super Villain Weekly_. He reluctantly switched off the holo-vid, and went towards his master.

Heinous picked up the bags he came with earlier and emptied their contents onto his desk.

"What did you bring with you?" asked Albert, amazed.

"Let's see," said Heinous. "From Planet Orxon, twelve screamer wings and seven gull's beaks. From Planet Hoven, four eyes of ankle biters. From Planet Aquatos, nine sewer crystals. I took twenty spikes from those mutated fish on Planet Pokitaru. I plucked thirty-four wings from those flies on Planet Florana. And, finally, I took one leaf from a fly-trap on Planet Quartu."

"What about Planet Magmose?"

Heinous turned around to face the wall.

Heinous then spoke, is voice so silent, it was almost as if he was whispering. "In the Captain Qwark vid-comic 'Episode Three: Shadow of the Robot', Vince was transformed into a robot. The reason was unknown until I investigated," he said.

"What was the cause, sir?"

"It turns out that Vince had made a machine that could transform organics into robots. He was planning to jump in there. He believed that turning himself into a robot would make him immortal. Qwark only sped up the process."

"How do you know, sir?"

"I found his diary in his old office and read it. Read the last entry," Heinous took a small, red book out of his pocket and held out his hand for Albert to take it. The curious blarg took the diary our of the scientist's hand.

On the front cover, written in bright green, was **_'NEFARIOUS' DIARY. TOP SECRET. NO READING UNLESS YOU'RE NEFARIOUS OR, UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION FROM NEFARIOUS.'_**

Albert flicked through the pages until he found the last entry.

'_August 23._

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is my last entry, I'm afraid. I won't need you anymore for the simple reason that there's no room left in you. My invasion of Blackwater City, with the Ameboids was a failure. It seems someone, by the name of Captain Qwark, has foiled my brilliant plan. I hope it's not the same Qwark from school. I'm now on my ship with my robotic butler, Lawrence, heading for Planet Magmose. The trip will take 6 days. I swear I will destroy Qwark at all costs. _

_Anyway, my project is almost complete. With this, I can turn myself into a robot and you know what that means. It means that I'll be immortal. That's right, eternal life for Nefarious. Not only that, I'll also have my own robotic powers. This project is waiting for me on Magmose. Soon, Solana will bow down to me, DR. NEFARIOUS, MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..._

_Well, this is the end of us._

_Goodbye._

_Sincerely, _

_Dr. Nefarious.'_

Albert closed the diary. "Wow," was all he managed to say.

"Yes," said Heinous, "it was all part of the plan."

There was a pause.

"Wait a minute, sir," said Albert, "You bought a Captain Qwark Vid-Comic? I thought you hated him."

Dr. Heinous turned around to face Albert. He smiled and said, "I only bought it for Qwark's special costume. I still know the code by heart; up, up, down, down, left, right, circle, square, square." He chuckled. "He ends up in a tutu."

Another pause.

"What else did you bring with you from Planet Magmose?"

"The chemicals," replied Heinous. "The chemicals that where in those machines that Vince fell into. With these chemicals, we'll be able to transform ourselves into robots. We just need to mix everything, test it on the sand shark and see if it works."

"How do we do that, sir?"

"Just do exactly as I say. This is a very delicate procedure."

"Yes sir. I'm ready when you are!"

* * *

Don't worry, I'll write about Ratchet (eventually). More to come! 


	5. A boring life for Ratchet

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

Thanks Mr. Grae for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Five: A boring life for Ratchet**

It was another boring day on the Starship Phoenix; no tyhrranoid attacks, no new enemies to fight, no anything. Ratchet was actually missing Drek and Dr. Nefarious, he wanted some excitement but nothing happened. Clank and Skrunch went to continue as holovid stars, filming more _Secret Agent Clank_ episodes.

It was nice of Holostar Studios to let Ratchet play as Jeeves one more time. The only downside was that Jeeves had to get killed in the last episode of 'Secret Agent Clank: Series 3'. Ratchet didn't mind that his character had to die.

Ratchet had completed all his vid-games, including 'Mallet and Clonk ', 'George and Haxter' and 'Guy Rooper'. He had also beaten every crew member on the Phoenix in every Multi-player Vid-game he owned. Ratchet had also beaten every VR level in the VR deck.

Every weapon and gadget Ratchet ever owned was, neatly, placed in a huge display case. From the Bomb Glove to the Rynocirator, from the Swingshot to the Warp Pad, every weapon and gadget was there. He hadn't used them since he defeated Nefarious.

Ratchet and Sasha had also stopped dating. The reason was that Ratchet was a lombax and Sasha was a cazar. And what would the children look like? The two could never be together. The still had feelings for each other though.

Ratchet laid on the sofa in boredom. He just wanted something interesting to happen. Anything.

* * *

Okay, so this wasn't what you guys were expecting. I promise there will be action scenes. All I have to do is get to them. Another thing you should know is that I started writing this fic a week before I published it. I promise there'll be some action in Chapter 8. 

In your review, tell me if you think Ratchet and Sasha should be together. I believe in democracy, so reviewers should vote if they want Ratchet and Sasha to be together.


	6. Transformation Part 1

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Transformation Part 1**

"Now add the leaf," commanded Heinous.

He and Albert had been working on the potion for one whole hour.

Albert added the leaf to the chemical concoction, which was in a small cauldron. The liquid turned a bright yellow.

"Now what, sir?" asked Albert.

Heinous said nothing. Instead he took a pipette from his pocket and released all of the red liquid inside.

"What's that?" asked Albert.

"It's the chemical I told you about earlier," replied Heinous.

The chemical concoction bubbled and turned bright orange.

"Is it ready, sir?"

"Yes. Now we need to pour it into the laser."

"Laser, sir?"

"Just leave it to me, Albert."

Dr. Heinous went to the cupboard he had gone to earlier and pulled out a laser that resembled the one on the Obani Draco that had turned Skidd into a robot, but this one was on wheels……and it was blue.

He then pulled out a transparent canister, about a foot long. He approached the cauldron, put a rubber glove on, removed the flask's lid, and filled the flask with the liquid. He then approached the laser and jammed the flask into one end.

"Albert, bring me the sand shark," Heinous ordered.

Albert pushed the tank, with the sleeping sand shark, in front of the laser. Because of the sudden movement, the sand shark woke up and started growling at the two. Heinous ignored this and switched the laser on. It began powering up as a ball of energy formed at the tip of it.

Albert quickly stepped out of the way and closed his yellow eyes, as the ball of energy grew brighter and bigger. Heinous put on a pair of sunglasses and pressed the button.

* * *

Skip on down to Chapter Seven. 


	7. Transformation Part 2

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

I was going to wait a week to update this chapter. But when I realized how short Chapter 6 was, I just had to update this chapter to make up for it.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Transformation Part 2**

A bright, orange laser beam shot from the laser and hit the sand shark. A powerful force shook the lab. Albert thought that the ceiling was going to fall on him and Heinous. But the shaking only lasted for five seconds and was over as soon as it started.

Heinous removed his sunglasses and walked over to the tank. Albert, still with his eyes shut, now covering them with his red hands, walked as close as he thought he could without knocking something over.

"Did it work, sir?" he asked.

Heinous didn't reply.

"Sir?" asked Albert removing one hand from his face. When he saw what was in the tank, he gasped.

Heinous then said, "It... it… it… it… it… worked………. IT WORKED, IT WORKED, IT WORKED!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"Congratulations, sir," Albert smiled.

Heinous then started jumping around the lab, saying 'it worked' over and over again, like a child, which, much to Albert's surprise, he had never seen him do.

Albert then looked into the tank again, just to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. In the tank was the sand shark, unharmed. But, now there was a huge difference, being that the sand shark was now a robot. I looked exactly the same as before, but now it was metal.

When Heinous had calmed down, he became serious again and said, "Come Albert, it's your turn."

"Sir, may I ask a question first?" asked Albert.

"What?" Dr. Heinous asked back.

"Was that special chemical all that was required for the transformation?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you waste time getting all the other things?"

"I'm glad you asked that. The reason is that all those ingredients put together, in one concoction make an orange colour. And what's my favourites colour, Albert?"

Albert sighed, "Orange, sir."

"Exactly! Now stop wasting tome and get in front of the laser."

Without questioning, Albert stepped in front of the laser and closed his eyes again. Heinous filled the, now empty, canister with more of the chemical in the cauldron, jammed it into the back of the laser. The laser began powering up. Heinous put on his sunglasses again and pressed the button.

The same thing more or less happened and, standing before Heinous, was his butler, now a robot, still with his uniform though. Albert, like the sand shark, looked exactly the same as his organic self, but metal and, unlike the sand shark, with red eyes.

Albert went to the near by mirror and looked at himself.

"I like it, sir," he said.

Now it was Dr. Heinous' turn. Like before he filled the transparent canister with the remaining chemical, and left in the cauldron. But this time he did something different. He squeezed the last drop from the pipette into the canister. He jammed the container into the back of the laser. When the laser started powering up, Heinous called Albert.

"Albert, when I say 'now', I want you to press this button," he pointed to a big, red button, "understand?"

Albert nodded.

Heinous walked and stopped in front of the laser and, this time, closed his eyes.

"NOW!" he yelled.

Albert closed his eyes again and pressed the button.

Again, the same thing happened.

"Sir?" called Albert. He was shocked at what he saw.

The transformation was a success, Heinous had been turned into a robot, but instead of looking the same but metal, he was more different.

Dr. Heinous was much taller. Albert usually reached Heinous' shoulders, now he reached Heinous' hips. Luckily, Heinous didn't bump his head on the ceiling. His fingers had sharp edges. His body was dark green. The top of his long, pointy head was red, but it wasn't transparent, like Dr. Nefarious'. His ears were replaced by one antenna per ear, which had a glowing, blue bulb at the tip much like the gadge-bots. The hair on the top of his head was replaced by another antenna, which had a glowing, red bulb at the tip. His eyes were the same shape, but now they were bright yellow. There was a circular shape on his chest which was also yellow. There where yellow stripes from his knees to his ankles and from his elbows to his wrists. Other than those, Dr. Heinous looked exactly like Dr. Nefarious' robotic form.

"Perfect," said Heinous. His voice hadn't changed.

"Okay, we're now robots. What do we do now, sir?" asked Albert.

"We go to Planet Kalebo III."

"What for, sir?"

"To steal some robots for my army, or at least some protection."

"What about the sand shark?"

"Put it back in the tank."

Albert put the sand shark in its tank. Then the two robots made their way outside, to the ship. They quickly went inside. They then went to the cockpit. Heinous graded the controls and the ship left the planet.

* * *

Not much of a cliff-hanger, but it'll do. I'll update Chapter Eight soon. 


	8. A heinous encounter

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

I updated so many chapters, because I felt like.

Thanks Black Rosettes, Mr. Grae and SLYFOXX for reviewing.

I still want people to vote on whether Ratchet and Sasha should be together.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: A heinous encounter**

Yet again, it was another boring and uneventful day on the Phoenix. The members of the Q-Force weren't even working. Al was playing Pong, Helga was looking up new recopies on the internet, Skidd was looking up the newest hoverboards on the internet, and Qwark was sleeping. Sasha was the only one working and yet she was also sleepy.

At about noon, the alarm went off and a voice appeared over the intercom, telling all fighting personnel to report to the Bridge.

Ratchet made his way to the Bridge.

"Attention…everyone," said Sasha, "it seems that someone is attacking Gadgetron HQ, on Planet Kalebo III. This 'someone's' identity is unknown, but let's capture him or her before anyone gets hurt. Come on people, let's move out!"

Ratchet was the first one to leave the Bridge. He ran to the display case and grabbed a few necessary weapons. He then dressed into his Electro Steel armour. He then ran to his ship, jumped in and flew off to Planet Kalebo III.

* * *

The red ship had a view of the same place Ratchet had landed the last time he came to this planet. But this time there was another ship parked on the landing pad. This ship was bright blue in colour, about half the size of a basketball pitch and had the letter 'H' on both sides. The whole body was rectangle-shaped, except for the front, which was slanting backwards for speed. Two small, triangular wings stuck out from the sides and each one had a jet. The ship was supported by three legs, one in front and two in the back. There was so sign of a door, though. 

Too much space was taken, so Ratchet had to land somewhere on the bridge.

Ratchet took no notice of the other ship and ran across the bridge. All the defence robots were gone. Everything seemed quiet here, until Ratchet heard a loud blast come from the CEO's office. He quickly Charge-Booted to the office.

When Ratchet arrived there, he was given a disgusting site. The CEO was on the floor with a hole, the size of a basket ball, right through his belly. The expression on the carcass's face didn't make things look any bit prettier. I was a shocking expression, the mouth and eyes were wide open. And worst of all was that the floor was stained with blood. The site made Ratchet sick to his stomach.

Then Ratchet heard a laugh come from the other room. He slowly crept up and poked his head around the corner to see who was cackling.

He saw two robots; a tall one and a short one.

The tall one said, "This is perfect. Now, with this small robot troop, I am one step closer to taking over the galaxy and destroying all the squishies!"

"Well done, sir," said the small one.

Ratchet didn't hesitate. He equipped his Decimator and jumped out from his hiding place. "Not so fast, Nefarious, you bastard!" he yelled.

The two robots turned around. The site made Ratchet lower his weapon.

"You're not Nefarious," said Ratchet.

"No, I'm not and this isn't Lawrence either," said the taller robot.

"Then, who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Heinous and this is Albert!"

"'Heinous'?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?" Ratchet raised his weapon.

"Steeling robots."

"To do what?"

"Why, take over the galaxy and destroy all squishies of course."

"Did Nefarious send you?"

"Nefarious? HA! I don't take orders from that looser."

"Why are you doing this then?"

Heinous was getting annoyed. "I've had enough of your questions, squishy!" The raised his hand and shot a rocket at Ratchet.

The rocket missed Ratchet by a metre, but when it hit the wall, it started creating sonic sounds the only affected organics. Ratchet dropped his weapon and covered his ears. The noise was almost unbearable.

Heinous took this opportunity, "Albert, escort the robots to the ship," He ordered.

"What about you, sir?" asked Albert.

"I'll stay here and cover you encase the sonic blast wears off and our little friend decides to stop us. NOW GO!"

"Right away, sir."

Albert walked to the ship, while the robots, which were troopers, followed.

When the sonic blast wore off, Ratchet equipped his R.Y.N.O. and ran after them. But Heinous saw this and he jumped in front of him.

"Not so fast, squishy!" Heinous yelled, shaking a fist.

He jumped in the air and sprouted large, dragon-like, robotic wings. He then laughed and started dropping green plasma bombs. Ratchet dodged the bombs anyway he could and, at the same time, ran after Heinous, constantly shooting at him, with the R.Y.N.O.

The next bomb hit Ratchet and sent him flying, almost over the edge. If it wasn't for his armour, he'd be dead. Both of Ratchet's legs were broken. The pain was so over whelming, that he couldn't even swear at it. All he could do was slip into unconsciousness.

Heinous was about to kill Ratchet, when he stopped. "Forget it. You're not worth it, but we'll meet again," he said. He then ran into his ship. The ship then took off and left the planet.

* * *

Ratchet woke up in the infirmary. He looked around and saw no one. He then felt a throbbing pain in his head. He looked down to see if his legs were Okay. They were both bandaged and hung up. Ratchet was about to fall asleep, when Al and Skidd came into the room. 

"Hey Al, hey Skidd," greeted Ratchet. This took Al and Skidd by surprise.

"Hey Ratchet!" said Skidd.

"We're glad to see that you're okay," said Al.

"What happened?" asked Ratchet.

"Both of your legs are broken," said Al. "When we found you, you were unconscious. We put you in the dropship and here you are. The nurse will come in about an hour, to give you some Nanotech. Oh, and Sasha's mad with you, for letting the enemy get away and going off by yourself, but she's glad you're okay."

"What about my weapons and gadgets?" asked Ratchet, running out of things to ask.

"Back in the display case, dude," said Skidd.

Al looked at his watch. "Time to get back to work. Come on, Skidd. Bye Ratchet, I'll tell Sasha that you're okay."

"Wait! I have some information about the enemy!" said Ratchet.

Al and Skidd stopped.

"What is it, man?" asked Skidd.

"Our enemy's name is Dr. Heinous, he's a robot and he knows Dr. Nefarious, but he's not working for him."

"Dr. Heinous, eh?" Al scratched his chin. "Okay, thanks, Ratchet, I'll tell Sasha."

Al and Skidd left the room and Ratchet went back to asleep.

* * *

"Al, Skidd, you're back," said Sasha, "is Ratchet okay?" 

"Ratchet's fine, Captain. He said that our enemy's called Dr. Heinous, he's a robot, he knows Dr. Nefarious, but he's not working for him," Al said.

"Dr. Heinous? Thanks, Al. You two can get back to work."

Sasha went to the intercom. "Attention all Starship Phoenix personnel," announced Sasha, "our enemy is called Dr. Heinous. I want all of you to find out everything you can about him."

* * *

The next chapter awaits. 


	9. The plan for the search

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The plan for the search **

"Erm…Captain Sasha?" asked a nervous ranger.

"Yes?" replied Sasha.

"We've….found little information on Dr. Heinous."

Sasha sighed. "Well, better little than nothing. What have you found?"

The ranger pulled out a folder and took out a piece of paper, from it.

"All we found out is that," said the ranger, "his full name's 'Jeremiah Francis Heinous IV', he's a scientist, he's currently forty-nine years old, he has a blarg butler, named 'Albert', he's single and he's…," the ranger stopped.

"He's what?" asked Sasha, now loosing her patience.

"…a relative of Dr. Nefarious."

"Hmm. I guess evil runs in the family. Anything else?"

"No," replied the ranger.

"What about his home planet?"

"That information has been deleted."

"Okay then. That is all. You may return to work."

The ranger saluted Sasha and left the Bridge. Sasha could feel the stares of the staff members, who were present when the ranger gave the announcement. She then looked at all of them and they returned to work.

About an hour later, a group of four staff members entered the room. One of them was Al, another was a local of Planet Novalis, Ed, and the other two were locals from Planet Rilgar, Will and Jane.

"Excuse us, Captain Sasha," said Al, "we've come up with an idea to defeat Dr. Heinous."

"I'm listening," said Sasha.

"We form an alliance whit Nefarious," said Ed.

"What?.! Are you crazy?.!" Sasha couldn't believe her ears. "I can think of a thousand reasons not to form an alliance with Nefarious! Besides, he's dead, or destroyed, or whatever."

"Not quite, Captain. No parts, belonging to Dr. Nefarious or his butler, had been recovered after the fight. It's impossible for the parts to have sunk in the planet's quicksand, because our experts had drained them. And another huge detail is that Nefarious' butler, Lawrence, can teleport," Will explained in one breath.

"What are you saying?" asked Sasha.

"We're saying that Dr. Nefarious is still out there, somewhere," said Al.

"Then why hasn't he attacked yet?"

"Maybe, because he's stranded somewhere, out of range for teleportation."

"Even if Nefarious isn't gone and we're trying to find him, how will we?"

"I'm glad you asked, Captain," Jane said, "Only ten butlers were ever created by Gadgetron. Lawrence was the first butler to be sold. Gadgetron have trackers for all the electronic products they make. Every product has its very own specific circuit pattern. All we have to do is go to Gadgetron, ask for the tracker for Lawrence, get it for Lawrence, search for Lawrence, and when we find Lawrence, we'll find Dr. Nefarious."

"Sounds good, except there's just one more problem. How's Nefarious going to team up with us? Encase you didn't notice, he hates organics and we're organic!"

"Don't worry, we already have it covered," said Will. He took out something that looked like a computer chip from his pocket. "We just put this baby into Nefarious' CPU…and he'll become good, but he won't be a mindless zombie, meaning that he'll still have his memories, etcetera."

Sasha had one more question. "What about Ratchet?" she asked, "I'm sure he can defeat Dr. Heinous."

"Ratchet broke both of his legs," said Ed, no faith whatsoever in the lombax.

"Ratchet, Clank and Dr. Nefarious can all fight against Heinous together," said Will.

Sasha had no further questions. She said, "Alright, we'll try team up with Nefarious. But, if he refuses and your chip fails, don't come crying to me."

Al, Ed, Will and Jane smiled, but Sasha didn't.

"Don't worry, Captain, this chip is flawless," said Jane.

"Okay, we'll go the Gadgetron HQ to get the tracker. Hopefully, the attack didn't destroy everything," said Al.

"Right," said Sasha.

Al, Will, Ed and Jane left the Bridge.

"Skidd, Helga," called Sasha.

"Yeah?" said Skidd, who had been woken from his nap.

"I'm verking! Vot is it?" Helga bellowed, annoyed.

"Come. I have a job for you two," said Sasha.

Helga angrily made her way to Sasha. Skidd sleepily did the same.

"Since evil has reared its ugly head again," explained Sasha, "we'll need all the help we can get. I'll need you two to go to Holostar Studios and bring Clank and Skrunch to the Phoenix. I'll call for a dropship, take you there."

Skidd was happy that he had permission to leave the Phoenix. The computers were 'cramping his style' and he wanted out.

Helga was also happy. She was dieing to get off this 'pitiful excuse of a ship' and stretch her robotic legs.

The two left the Bridge and headed for the dropship that was waiting for them. Three rangers where also in the dropship. The back-door of the Phoenix opened and the dropship left the Phoenix, heading for Holostar Studios.

* * *

Okay, so this chapter was just conversation. At least, the plan makes sense. 


	10. Puppet

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Puppet**

The blue ship landed in Outpost X9. Heinous, Albert and ten other robots made their way inside the lab. Once inside, the troopers stood, in a straight line, against the wall. The sand shark was still in the lab, curled into a little ball, sleeping. Heinous and Albert went to the desk.

Albert said, "Well done, sir. It seems that your special control-chips work."

"Of course they work. I built them. And I also disabled the tracker-chips which Gadgetron use to find products," replied Dr. Heinous.

"I see, but why did we only steal ten troopers?"

"We didn't only steal ten troopers. We also stole that." Heinous pointed behind Albert. The butler looked behind him to see what looked like a big, yellow bucket, with three legs and an antenna.

(Author's Note: It was one of those things that throw out little balls that turn into enemies. If someone knows what they're called, tell me)

Heinous walked up the yellow machine. "With this, our robot supply will never run out," he said.

"Ok, sir. What are we going to do next?" asked Albert.

Dr. Heinous went to his desk, rested his metal hands on it and thought for a moment. He was then struck by inspiration. "I know what we do next," he said. "We go to the Obani Draco. There's something there that may be of use to us."

"Right away, sir," agreed Albert.

"Come, troopers, we're going to the Obani Draco."

The twelve robots exited the lab and boarded the ship. Dr. Heinous took hold of the controls and the ship took off.

* * *

Dr. Heinous' ship landed on the purple landing pad. Heinous, Albert and the troopers exited the vessel. 

Albert was feeling rather uncomfortable here, because he hated the colours pink and purple and they were everywhere.

"How will we get across, sir? We don't have Gravity Boots," said Albert.

"We'll just use that," said Dr. Heinous, pointing to a teleport pad. "Okay, Albert, you come with me, as always, and you five stay here and guard the ship," he pointed at five troopers. They saluted. "And you other five come with us," he pointed at the other five troopers.

* * *

The seven robots went on the pad, one at a time, and teleported to the other side. They where in the same room where Skidd was turned into a robot. Dr. Heinous walked over to the computer on the left. 

Rubbing his metal chin, he said, "I wonder if we'll find any useful footage on this computer." He started going through the screen menu, "Hey Albert, this computer contains every music video of Courtney Gears."

"Let's watch one, sir," said Albert.

"Nah. I'm not much of a music person," said Heinous. He scrolled all the way down, when he found something interesting. "Hey. What's this?" He asked. "'Biobliterator test'," he read.

"Maybe this could be useful, sir."

"Yeah. Let's watch it."

Dr. Heinous pressed the 'watch' button. The screen switched on. A male local from Rilgar was seen, strapped on a diagonal, pink table. Courtney was seen, securing the straps.

"_Whoa,"_ said the local from Rilgar, _"Like, I didn't know you were this kinky, Miss Gears."_

Courtney was standing next to three buttons. She looked annoyed. _"Don't you ever shut up?"_ she asked spitefully. She pressed a button and backed away.

At the top right corner of the screen, there was a laser, powering up.

"_Alright, I'll zip it,"_ said the man, putting his hands behind his head.

The ball of energy, emitted from the laser, grew brighter.

"Man, the guys are not gonna believe this," he commented.

The laser was at full power. The local from Rilgar looked as if he realized the danger he was in and proceeded to cover his groin.

There was a flash of light and the local from Rilgar was all metal with red eyes. _"Like, destroy all squishies, dude,"_ he said in a robotic voice. When he said 'dude', he sat up.

The screen went black.

"Did you see that guy on the right?" Heinous asked. "That was Skidd Mcmarx."

"It was hard to miss him, sir," replied Albert.

"That laser could be of use to us," said Heinous. "Let's find it and bring it back to the lab."

"Found it, sir," said Albert. He was standing right next to the laser.

Dr. Heinous walked over to the laser and examined it. It was the same laser, seen on the computer.

"Perfect. This is what I'll use," said Dr. Heinous. "You there," he pointed to three troopers, "this laser is too big to fit in the teleport pad. You're equipped with the ability to hover. I want you to carry the laser to the ship. IF YOU DROP IT, I'LL TURN ALL OF YOU INTO TOSTERS!"

The three troopers saluted and unhinged the laser from the ceiling. Then they held it and started hovering towards the ship.

"Sir, I have found another teleport pad," said Albert, who was standing next to the said device.

Heinous signalled for the other two troopers to follow. They obeyed the command and followed.

* * *

The four robots were teleported to a round room. There where seven cages on the outside. There where many different screens, which displayed different pictures of Courtney. The ceiling was a glass dome, which gave a view of space. And, again, everywhere was coloured pink and purple. 

"Oh my! What happened here?.!" exclaimed Albert.

There were many purple robot parts all over the floor. A fight had definitely occurred here.

"I don't know, Albert," said Dr. Heinous, walking to the centre of the room, "…but it looks like--" he stopped.

"Looks like what, sir?" asked Albert, walking up to Dr. Heinous. When he saw what Heinous was looking at, he put one hand over his mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said, forgetting he was a robot.

The two troopers, curious to what Heinous and Albert were looking at, walked over to take see.

"Ewww. So that's what happened to her," said Heinous.

In front of the four robots was the body of Courtney Gears, with rust, almost all over her. Instead of the silverish glow, there was brownish red. She looked like she was sleeping.

Heinous noticed something on the floor. It was a hair. Heinous picked the hair up and examined it. It wasn't Courtney's hair, or any of the other robots'. It was the hair of a lombax.

"Ratchet was here," he said.

"Poor dear," said Albert. After a minute of silence, he said, "Come, sir there's nothing here."

But Dr. Heinous didn't listen. He continued to stare at Courtney's robotic 'corpse'. Then a smile appeared on his metal face.

"Sir?" asked the blarg.

"I have an idea," said Heinous. Before Albert could ask what the idea was, Heinous said to the troopers, "You two, I want you to take this robot's body to the ship."

The troopers saluted, picked Courtney's body up, went to the teleport pad and exited the room. Dr. Heinous and Albert were the only ones left in the room.

"Come, Albert. There's nothing left here that can be of use to us," said Heinous.

The two robots exited the room. They reappeared in the room where they saw the video of Skidd, they went to the other teleport pad and teleported themselves to the ship. Heinous commanded the troopers to enter the ship.

In the ship Heinous could see the laser and Courtney, next to each other, safely secured. Once again, Dr. Heinous took hold of the ship's controls and the vessel left the Obani Draco.

* * *

Before you criticise me, let me tell you that all this travelling from one planet to another will pay off. In the later chapters, everything will come together. 


	11. Return of Clank and Skrunch

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Return of Clank and Skrunch**

"May I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. We'd like to sp--"

"Vi vant to speak to ze vones known az Clank and Skrunch!"

Skidd and Helga had arrived at Holostar Studios and were speaking to the secretary of Lot 42, a female lombax.

"I'm sorry, but Vidstar Appreciation Day is next week," said the lombax.

"Bu--" Skidd began, but was cut off by Helga again.

"VOT!.? Are you telling me that vi cannot speak to Clank and ze monkey?"

"Yes, madam."

Helga started yelling. After a minute of it not stopping, Skidd grew tired and held out his Starship ID.

"I'm terribly sorry for holding you back. You may proceed," said the secretary. She held out a peace of paper. "Here's a map to help you find the trailer."

Skidd and Helga left the secretary's office and followed the map. Skidd allowed Helga to gloat about the secretary letting them pass was thanks to her.

The Rilgarian and the robot reached Clank's trailer. They could recognise it, because of Clank's picture painted on the side. Skidd knocked on the trailer's door.

_"Yes? May I help you?"_ came a familiar, robotic voice from inside.

"Clank, buddy. It's Skidd and Helga," said Skidd. "Like, can we come in?"

The trailer's door opened and Clank was seen in the door way.

"Skidd, Helga, what a pleasant surprise," said the little robot, "would you like to come in?"

"Uh, no thanks, dude," said Skidd, "we only came here to--" once again, Skidd was cut off by Helga.

"Captain Sasha vonts you back at ze Phoenix pronto!" she bellowed.

"She does? Why?" asked Clank.

"Because, dude, there's a--"

"Zeres a new bad guy and vi need your held to stop him!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's this--like--new bad dude and we need you and the monkey dude to help stop this bad dude, dude."

Clank thought for a moment. It had been a while since he and Ratchet battled evil and this new career of his was getting a little demanding. And it would be nice to see the lombax again.

"Alright, I'll come," said Clank.

Skidd and Helga smiled.

"Awesome!" said the former, "what about the monkey dude?"

"Skrunch? He's sleeping," replied Clank, "I'll go and wake him."

There was the sound of Clank, trying to wake the monkey up. When the monkey woke up, sounds of it and Clank--speaking monkey--could be heard.

The robot and monkey approached the doorway. "He said that he'd be happy to help us," said Clank.

"Alright, dude, let's get back to the Phoenix. There's a dropship, waiting for us," said Skidd.

"Hold on," said Clank, "there's something I must do first."

"Vot is it!.?" demanded Helga, irritated again.

Clank took out a piece of paper and started writing. "Just a short note to let the director know why Skrunch and I aren't here." He then closed the door and stuck the note onto the door with tape.

Skidd, Helga, Clank and Skrunch went to the dropship. The four went inside.

"So, who is this new enemy?" asked Clank.

"Ze captain vill tell you everything at ze Phoenix," said Helga.

The dropship left the planet.

* * *

I know what you're thinking; _get to the part when Nefarious teams up with the good guys, already!_ Well if you wait, you'll get what you want. 


	12. The tracker for Lawrence

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: The tracker for Lawrence**

Amazingly, Gadgetron HQ had been rebuilt exactly the same as it was. It was as if Dr. Heinous didn't attack. But there was no time to marvel at the repairs.

Will, Al, Ed and Jane made their way to the nearest taxi. They boarded it and it flew towards the Helpdesk office. The passengers took up almost all of the space on the taxi, but no one fell off the vehicle.

The four Phoenix staff members went inside the Helpdesk office. There was a robotic female at the counter, reading a magazine.

When she noticed the visitors, she said in a robotic voice, "Hello, welcome to the Gadgetron Helpdesk Office. I am the Helpdesk girl. May I help you?"

"Yes," said Ed, "we are members of the Starship Phoenix. We have come here to borrow the tracker for one of your products known as Lawrence the butler."

"I'm sorry but I can't help you in that," the Helpdesk girl said. "You'll have to talk to the one in charge if you want a tracker for any Gadgetron product."

"Wasn't the one in charge killed in the attack? Darla Gratch reported this in the news," asked Jane.

"Yes he was. But he was replaced by his second in command, Mr. Krinkle," replied the robot.

"Very well," said Ed, "where can we find this 'Mr. Krinkle'?"

"Take the taxi and fly towards the tower, facing this office. He'll be there."

The four left the Helpdesk office. It was funny; they hadn't noticed the tower before. I was a typical Gadgetron- coloured tower; the first part, from the bottom up, was bright grey, almost white in colour. The second part was bright orange with the brick lines showing. There was a landing pad sticking out of the orange part. The final and top part of the tower was grey, coated with green, translucent glass. The glass was fixed in a cone shape. There were letters, circling around the tower, which said 'CEO'S OFFICE'.

The group boarded the taxi and taxi left the Helpdesk office. The vehicle landed on the tower's landing pad. The group left the taxi.

They stopped in front of an enormous, dome-shaped, blue door, made out of a thick carbonox alloy. The door had a giant 'G', situated in the centre and on the wall, to the right, was written 'MR. S KRINKLE, CEO'.

Seeing that there was no door bell, Al knocked on the three story door.

"Come in," came a voice from inside. The door slid upwards. Everyone entered the room. The door closed behind them.

The office was one single, circular room. The wall was grey like the outside of the tower, but it was plane; there were no decorations, except for one giant portrait of the previous ceo. There were clean, square-shaped and rectangular-shaped patches on the wall, meaning that removals occurred. The floor was tiled in bright blue tiles that could show one's reflection. On the left there were eight teleport pads. At the far end of the room there was a blue cupboard, next to it stood a desk with a computer and a lizard-like man typing.

"May I help you?" he said, not taking his eyes off the monitor.

"Sorry to disturb you from your work, Mr. Krinkle, but the galaxy's in danger of, once again, having all its organic life forms obliterated," said Ed.

"Oh really? Why do you need my help then?"

"This may sound weird, sir," said Will, "but we're going to need the tracker for Lawrence so we can find him."

"Lawrence? That robot butler, purchased by someone named Dr. Nefarious?"

"Yes."

"Wasn't Nefarious a bad guy or something? Isn't he dead?"

(Author's Note: I'm not going to write the part about the parts not being found, because you've already read it)

Ed told Mr. Krinkle everything about no parts being found, the explosion not powerful enough to send Nefarious and Lawrence into space and the possibility that Nefarious could still be 'alive'.

We can convince him to join us or we can implant a special chip that will make him a good guy," said Will.

"Why do you guys want Dr. Nefarious? Why not that Ratchet I've heard so much about?"

"Because last time Ratchet tried to stop the attack on this base, he ended up breaking both his legs."

Mr. Krinkle finally looked away from the monitor and at the visitors. "What attack here?"

"Remember the attack on the base a few hours ago?" asked Jane, "Ratchet got both his legs broken, trying to stop him from getting away."

"But why do you need Nefarious? There are many others who can stop--"

"Nefarious is the only 'living' relative of the enemy," interrupted Al. "For all we know, Nefarious could know the weakness of the enemy."

"Stop saying 'the enemy' and tell me his name."

"His name is Dr. Heinous," said Ed.

"So let's see if I know everything," said Mr. Krinkle, getting up and walking towards the group. The group hadn't noticed hot short Mr. Krinkle was. He was no taller than Ratchet.

"Dr. Nefarious and his butler could still be out there, stranded. You want me to give you the tracker for Lawrence so that you can find him, hopefully with Dr. Nefarious, take them with you and try to convince Dr. Nefarious to team up with you to defeat the bastard who killed my brother, Dr. Heinous. If he doesn't want to team up with you, you guys put this do-hicki in him so he'll want to team up with the good guys," he reached the group, "What if the chip fails?"

"Oh it won't, sir," said Will.

Mr. Krinkle looked up at the group. "I have only one thing to say then," he said, "come, I'll give you the tracker."

He walked towards the teleporters, giving a hand gesture to follow.

"This one," said Mr. Krinkle, pointing to a teleport pad. "One at a time."

Mr. Krinkle teleported first, then Jane, then Al, then Ed and then Will. Everyone was teleported to a small room with and old fashioned door with a handle.

"Behind this door," said Mr. Krinkle, "lays every tracker for every electronic product, created by Gadgetron."

He opened the door inwards. The room behind it was a straight, endless hall. There were twenty rows and, God knows how many, columns, packed with lockers. Will squinted to see the end of the hall, but failed.

"Come on," said Mr. Krinkle, "we have a five minute walk if we want to get the tracker.

Along the way, Mr. Krinkle said, "Gadgetron was founded in 1902. This hall of trackers took two years to build. Back then we didn't have any cool technology, which is why that door seemed so strange. And it's also why we're walking, instead of riding."

Exactly five minutes had passed before the group reached the destination.

Mr. Krinkle turned towards a locker on the right. Luckily, the locker was at his level. He took out a single key. "This key can open any locker here by transforming into different keys. It's sort of like a skeleton key, except it can only open these lockers."

He opened the locker and took out the tracker.

The tracker looked a lot like a sucker. The whole gadget was grey except for the red antenna, on top and the green, circular screen. There was a button on the handle. Mr. Krinkle handed the tracker to the nearest person to him; in that case, Al.

"Press the button to activate it and again deactivate it," said Mr. Krinkle.

Al pressed the button. The screen lit up and a red arrow appeared.

"Well, well, well," said Mr. Krinkle, "it seen that Lawrence is online and functional."

All four of the visitors smiled. Everyone left the hall and teleported back to the office. Everyone thanked Mr. Krinkle, who wished them luck.

Al, Ed, Jane and Will boarded the taxi and rode to the dropship. The dropship ascended.

Ed called to inform Captain Sasha that the tracker was in their possession.

"Excellent," she said, "proceed with searching."

* * *

Hurry on to the next chapter. 


	13. The bad guys have a lot more to do

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The bad guys have a lot more to do**

"Sir, why did we stop at Galaxy Burger a few minutes ago?"

"Because the ship needed fuel," said Dr. Heinous. "It's a good thing that they have a gas station."

Albert rested on his master's seat, because there weren't any other seats to sit on.

"What are we going to do now, sir?" asked Albert.

"We're going back to Planet Aridia. Once there, I'll get my other ship, which is much bigger than this one and make the troopers load everything in the lab onto it, including this ship."

"Why? Are we moving?"

"Yes. If I want to rule the galaxy, I need to have a bigger and better base."

"Where will this new base be, sir?"

"Planet Horax."

"Horax, sir? Wasn't that planet destroyed when Drek took a piece if it for his new planet?"

"Supposedly, yes. But somehow Planet Horax and Planet Novalis survived. There was extreme climate change, though, and every organism perished. Both planets are wastelands now."

"Why Planet Horax, sir?"

"Because no one would ever look on a planet with a fifth of itself missing for a genius like me."

"What will happen next, sir?"

"I can tweak the yellow gadget we stole and make it produce constructobots. I'll command the constructobots to build me a new base."

"What will they build the base with, sir?"

"Planet Horax was home to some very intelligent life forms. No doubt they had technology. The constructobots will scrounge up whatever they can find and build my base."

"Cool, sir. Then what?"

"You'll stay on Planet Horax and make sure that the constructobots are doing their job right. I'll give you an architectural design to show you how I want the base to look. While you're on planet Horax, I'll be taking the other ship I told you about and going to Planet Koros. There, I'll find the next piece of my weapon."

"And that would be…"

"Drek's deplanetiser."

"Drek's what?"

"Deplanetiser. The laser which Drek was going to use to destroy Planet Veldin for his synthetic world."

"Wasn't the deplanetiser destroyed, sir?"

"It was broken, not destroyed. The galactic president ordered the 'experts' to fix it encase it was needed in the future. Well, I need it and I'm going to get it."

"What will you do with the laser, sir?"

"It's a surprise."

"Will anything have to be done after that, before we begin attacking, sir?"

"Of course, Albert. After stealing the deplanetiser, I'll bring it to Planet Horax. After, I'll leave the planet and go Planet Daxx. If I want to build my weapon, I'll need special tools. With the tools, I'll build the weapon. Then I'll need something to amplify the signal of the weapon. I'm sure I'll find it on Planet Horax. After the weapon is fully built, I'll need a source of power."

"Which is...?"

"Raritanium. One hundred thousand tones to be exact. But there's one problem."

"What, sir?"

"The two planets in this galaxy, Planet Hoven and Planet Pokitaru, have been deprived of Raritanium."

"So what will you do, sir?"

"I'll think of something. Until then, let's do exactly what I said."

The ship entered the atmosphere of Planet Aridia.

* * *

What is Dr. Heinous planning? Stay tuned for more chapters. 


	14. In range

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

Thanks Nezdreg, Mr. Grae, NEMO, SLYFOXX, ninja blade and Sarge 11 for reviewing.

Sorry for the long wait.

I'd like to make things clear. Dr. Heinous stole TROOPERS, not RANGERS. Got it?

From now on, if anyone has any ideas for the story, submit them in a review or an email. Ideas aren't required, but maybe they'll make the story better. I won't take all ideas, though.

Thanks SLYFOXX for the idea. I'm still thinking about it. And thanks again, SLYFOXX for telling me that that robot thing is called a Pekbot. It's from Ratchet and Clank 1.

Okay, here's another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: In range**

Dr. Heinous' ship landed in its usual spot in Outpost X9. All the robots exited the ship. Heinous went to the wall of the crater.

"I hope I still remember how to do this," he said to himself, as he stood two feet away from the wall.

The robot banged the wall several times. After the fortieth bang, a piece of the wall rose to reveal a shiny, red button.

Heinous turned to his butler and troopers and said, "I'd grab on to something if I were you." He then punched the button.

The ground started shaking. In the centre of the outpost, two hatch covers opened outwards. When the covers touched the ground, the sound of a platform rising could be heard. A gigantic ship rose from the hole.

The ship was long and rectangular. It was covered all black and was supported by three legs; one in front and two in the back. The upper part of the front had a window with reflective glass. The ship had two long wings. Each wing stuck out from either side. There was a structure on top of the ship that resembled a shark's dorsal fin. Lastly, there were two jets at the back which took up all the space there.

Dr. Heinous stepped in front of the ship. "I present to you my cargo ship!" he said.

"Wow, sir," said Albert, "this ship is quite impressive."

"Alright. Enough wasting time." Heinous took out a remote which had only one button. The left side of the ship opened downwards, providing stairs. "It's time to start loading."

After Dr. Heinous opened the lab door, he ordered the troopers to place everything in the lab in the cargo ship. After that was done, the troopers were ordered to put the blue ship in.

After that was done, Heinous asked a trooper, "Is that everything I told you to load?" The trooper nodded. "Good. Let's go."

"Wait, sir," said Albert.

Heinous turned to his butler. "What is it, Albert?"

"Sir, I believe you have forgotten something."

"What have I forgotten?"

"Come and see, sir."

Albert led his master back inside the lab. Albert pointed to the sand shark's tank.

"Oh," said Dr. Heinous.

"What should we do with it, sir?" asked Albert.

Heinous started rubbing his chin. "Leaving it here would just be plane cruel."

"Should we release it back into the wild?"

"I don't think that that's such a good idea, Albert. The other sand sharks would never accept it as a robot and I don't know how to reverse the transformation."

"Should we give it to an animal shelter?"

"No."

"Circus?"

"Nah."

"Kill it?"

"No way."

"Eat it?"

"Albert! This is serious!"

"Sorry, sir."

After a minute of thinking, Heinous was struck by inspiration. "I know what to do."

"What, sir?"

Heinous picked up the sand shark. "I'll keep it as a pet."

"_WHAT!"_

"I said 'I'll keep it as a pet'."

"Are you sure, sir? Sand sharks don't make very good pets."

"What makes you say that?"

"For one thing, it's biting at you arm."

Heinous looked to see his arm being chomped on.

"Not to worry, Albert. Just a few adjustments here and there…" Heinous pulled the animal from his arm and started fiddling inside its mouth, "…and it'll behave." The shark started licking Heinous' face. "Awww. She likes me."

"She?" asked a confused Albert.

"Well, it's obviously a she, Albert. Look at the thickness of the head fin."

"Right."

"Okay, Albert, let's go."

Heinous held the sand shark like a mother holds her child. The two robots made their way to the exit for the last time. On the way out, Heinous asked Albert, "So, what do you think I should name her?"

Albert shrugged. "It's your choice, sir," he replied.

"Oh! I'll can her 'Sandy'."

"'Sandy'?"

"Yes." Heinous held Sandy to his face. "Do you like that name, Sandy?" The sand shark responded by licking the scientist's face with its metal tongue. "I'll take that as a yes."

Once outside, Heinous ordered all the troopers inside the ship. Each trooper saluted and walked in a single file line into the vessel. Albert followed and Heinous stepped inside and closed the door with the remote.

At the back of the ship, there were all of Heinous and Albert's belongings, safely secured by strong ropes. In the middle, there were twenty seats. Every trooper sat on one of the seats and buckled up. Heinous, still carrying Sandy, went to the front. He opened the door and was followed inside by Albert.

The cock pit was filled with buttons of all colours. There where four seats in the middle and a large computer screen at the far front.

Heinous sat down in the front left seat and placed Sandy to his right in the other seat. Albert sat behind his master and buckled his safety belt.

"Good bye, Planet Aridia," said Dr. Heinous.

Heinous grabbed the control joy stick and pressed a button. The ship began to hover above the ground. When it was high enough, the hatch covers closed and the ship's legs contracted into the ship. Heinous pointed the ship towards the sky.

"HERE WE GO!" he yelled.

The ship blasted into the sky. Albert could feel himself sink into his seat. If he was still organic, he'd have thrown up.

When the ship reached space, the pressure stopped. Heinous inputted the coordinates to Planet Horax. He then let go of the joy stick and unbuckled his safety belt after activating the auto-pilot.

"Where are you going, sir?" asked Albert.

"I'm going to start working on the pekbot so it'll make constructobots instead of troopers," replied Heinous. "Could you take care of Sandy for me?"

"With Sandy here, I'll be the one who needs to be taken care of."

Heinous sighed. "I already told you, Albert, she won't hurt you. She's an angle."

"That 'angle' tore my trousers."

"Say, Albert, why haven't you changed those rags yet?"

"I honestly don't know, sir. I'll go change them." Albert unbuckled himself and left the cock pit.

Seeing that there was no one to watch Sandy, Heinous picked his pet up and left the cock pit.

* * *

**Aboard the dropship which was transporting Al, Ed, Will and Jane…**

The group sat on the same bench in silence. Eleven rangers sat on the bench opposite the other. The driver, who was also a ranger, followed the direction the tracker was pointing.

This dropship was different to the others. It had the same appearance and width, but was longer.

"So what's the plan?" asked Will.

"Simple," said Ed. "Listen, rangers. Here's the plan: When Dr. Nefarious figures out that there's a ship which is in range of teleportation, he'll order Lawrence to teleport onto the ship. All the rangers in this ship have been equipped with stun guns, capable of stunning both organics and robotics. As soon as they teleport, the rangers will stun Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence. They'll be stunned for exactly two hours. Before they wake up, we transport the dropship back to the Phoenix and restrain them. Then we'll have to convince them to team up with us."

"Sounds like a plan," said Jane.

"We can't afford to screw this up," said Ed.

* * *

**At the Starship Phoenix…**

Skidd, Helga, Clank and Skrunch left the dropship.

"Okay, dudes," said Skidd, "the captain's waiting for you at the Bridge."

"Affirmative," said Clank. The group went to the Bridge.

As soon as the doors opened, Skrunch ran towards Qwark's chair. Qwark was sleeping (again) and was facing the door. Skrunch leapt onto the sleeping Qwark and started licking him.

"Wha…?" murmured an awoken and confused Qwark, "Skrunch? Skrunch!" Qwark gave the monkey a bone crushing hug. "You're back."

"Ah, Clank, you're finally here," said Sasha as she walked up the ramp to the right.

"Greetings, Captain," said Clank. "May I know what's happening?"

Sasha told Clank everything that was going on. Clank didn't bother asking questions, because Sasha had already answered them before they were asked.

(Author's Note: I'm not gonna tell you the conversation, because you should know by now)

The only thing Clank could ask was, "Does Ratchet know about this?"

"No. After he got better, he took his ship and left. He said he was going to the Obani Gemini," said Sasha.

"When Ratchet hears the plan, he won't like it."

"It's the only way, Clank."

"I'll be in Ratchet's quarters if you need me." With that, Clank left the Bridge.

Sasha sighed and sat in her chair to continue her report.

"Captain Sasha," called a ranger, "incoming call from the guys you sent to get the tracker."

"Patch them through," said Sasha. The screen lit up to reveal Ed's face.

Sasha sat up. "Well?" she asked.

"Good news, Captain," said Ed, "we're in range of Lawrence's teleporter."

"Good. Don't let your guard down; Nefarious is pretty dangerous."

"Got it. Ed out."

* * *

Don't just sit there, read the next chapter! 


	15. A new home

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: A new home**

"Are we there yet?" asked Albert.

"We get there when we get there!" said Dr. Heinous.

The ship had been travelling through space for two hours. Heinous had managed to change the pekbot's settings. Albert had changed his trousers.

"What do you wanna watch, Albert?"

"This ship has a holovid?" asked Albert.

"Of course," Heinous replied.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, sir?"

"You never asked, Albert."

Albert groaned. "No thank you, sir. I don't feel like watching the holovid right now."

"Are you sure? The Florana Demolition Derby will start in five minutes."

"I'm sure, sir."

Twenty minutes later, Heinous pulled out a microphone. "Attention, all passengers," he said, "please buckle up, because we're at our destination."

In the front screen was a view of Planet Horax. The whole planet was dark brown in colour and had a big chunk of itself missing.

"Let's put the shield on," said Heinous, "don't want to burn up in the atmosphere."

"The planet has an atmosphere?" asked Albert.

"Yep. I have no idea why. Also, it still has its gravity."

The ship blasted towards the barren planet. The walls were turning red from the heat. At first, the planet was just brown, but as the vessel got closer, more features could be seen.

Suddenly, the ship stopped and hovered above the ground. The vessel's legs came out. No long after that, the ship landed. The door opened and thirteen robots exited.

The surroundings were as barren as surroundings could get. The dark brown soil was hard and infertile. The sky was dark violet with some patches of outer space. There wasn't a tree in site. Actually, the whole area was just one flat desert. However, a small city displayed itself in the distance.

Albert was transfixed in the scenery and didn't notice his master walk off. "Perfect," said Heinous, snapping Albert out of his trance, "they'll build the base right here."

"How big is this base going to be, sir?" asked Albert, walking to his master.

"Very," said Heinous. "Trooper, come here." A trooper marched to Dr. Heinous. "Bring me the pekbot." The trooper saluted and ran to the ship. A minute later, the trooper came out, holding the pekbot with both hands. The robot set it down next to Heinous. Heinous pressed a few unseen buttons and took three steps back.

Ten metal spheres were shot out from the device. The spheres quickly turned into constructobots.

(Author's Note: If you have Ratchet and Clank 3, you should know what constructobot looks like)

"Albert, get this, I have a radio link with these robots; I can make them do what I want," said Heinous.

"Nice," said Albert.

"Listen, constructobots," said Heinous. Every constructobot stood up straight, awaiting instructions. "I want you to build me more of yourselves and then build this base," Heinous took out a folded piece of blue paper. He then unfolded it. This was one big piece of paper. "Scan these plans into your robotic minds and pass it on to those who you create. "Use any resource you can find there, build vehicles to make things easier," Heinous pointed to the abandoned city, "and build, _build, BUILD!_"

Heinous held out the blue prints towards the constructobots. Yellow light shot out from the robots' eyes, onto the plans. After the scanning was complete, the constructobots saluted and began marching towards the city.

"Three more things," called Heinous. The constructobots turned around. "I wan the base to be built right here," he pointed to the spot where he was standing, "I'll be leaving for a while, so in my absence, follow what this guy says until I return," Heinous pointed to Albert. "Lastly, I want the base to be coloured orange." The constructobots saluted and kept walking to the city.

Heinous started walking to his cargo ship. "See you, Albert, I'll be back soon. Come, troopers. And bring the pekbot." The troopers picked up the pekbot and marched towards the ship. "Come, Sandy," Sandy ran to the ship.

"Bye, sir. Good luck," said Albert.

The ship's door closed, and shortly after, the ship left the planet, heading for Planet Koros.

* * *

Don't flame just yet. The next chapter will contain some action. Until then, please review. 


	16. We finally got him

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anyone or anything featured in the game. Anyone or anything NOT featured in the game is mine.

Thanks NiCkNaCk and SLYFOXX for reviewing.

This chapter will mainly focus on Dr. Heinous getting the deplanetiser. However, the title wasn't given the name it has because Dr. Heinous gets the deplanetiser.

This chapter took a while to write/type, so I hope you appreciate it.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND GORE! IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN (wussy).

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: We finally got him**

The cargo ship had been set on auto-pilot. Heinous stood in the back room. He had forgotten to instruct the troopers to unpack. No matter. The scientist sat cross-legged, tinkering with the pekbot once again. When he was done, he stood up with a smile.

He leaned over and pressed the button. Like last time, ten spheres were shot out from the pekbot. But, unlike last time, the spheres took the shapes of red robo roosters. Heinous hadn't told Albert that he formed a radio link, not only with the constructobots, but with everything that the pekbot spat out.

Every robo rooster stood along side each other, in a straight line. Heinous put his hands behind his back and paced in front of the robots like a general.

"Listen robots," Dr. Heinous began, "our objective is to get the deplanetiser." A holographic picture came out of nowhere, displaying a 3-D picture of the deplanetiser.

"The deplanetiser is held inside this base." The hologram changed pictures and showed the outside of a base.

"Here's the plan…"

_Fifteen minutes later…_

"… After that's done, we go home. Any questions?"

None of the robots answered.

Heinous chuckled at his stupid question. _'DUH! These robots can't talk!' _he thought.

Heinous went pack to the cock pit. The planet was in view. Heinous reached for the microphone and told all passengers to be seated. Sandy stirred in her chair at the loud noise.

The ship landed a mile away from the fortress. How stupid; the staff spent so much money on air defences, that they didn't have enough for ground defences.

Sandy (still asleep), all the troopers and one robo roster stayed aboard. Dr. Heinous and nine robo rosters ran towards the base. They leaned against the wall. Heinous pocked his head around the corner. There were only two guards. Although the guards were completely covered in armour, Heinous knew that they ere organic.

Heinous looked back at the robots. "You guys remember the plan?" The robots nodded. "Good." Heinous decided that now was the time to test his robotic powers.

(Author's Note: Okay, from here until the next Author's Note, there's gonna be some violence and gore)

He put his hand round the corner and shot a sonic missile. The missile hit the ground near the guards and started emitting the waves. The guards covered their ears and screamed in pain. Heinous then ran towards them and stuck his claws right through their protective masks, into their skulls. The guards fell to the ground in a puddle of their own blood.

Heinous smiled at the corpses, but then noticed the blood and bits of brains all over his hands. "Awww, man," he sighed. "This is one of the reasons why I decided to become a robot!" He wiped his hands on the dead bodies.

Heinous faced the door. He spread his arms out and the yellow circle in the middle of his chest began to glow. A yellow laser beam was shot from the chest at the door. The several ton door fell inwards with a loud clank.

The robot ran inside. The alarm had already been sounded. The long hall way was flashing red. There where several doors on both sides of the halls, but Heinous already knew what lied beyond them.

His hunch was confirmed as all the doors slid downwards and guards came pouring out, N60 Storms in hand. Sheesh! This base couldn't even afford descent robot guards. Whoever thought of hiding the deplanetiser here, must have wanted someone to steel it.

Heinous extended his hands forward and thousands of tiny, yellow blasts were fired. The armour which the guards were wearing was easily penetrated. After a minute the hall was a bloody mess. Heinous tried to walk past without getting his feet dirty, but to now avail. He sighed and just sprinted forward.

When the robot reached the eight foot door, he attempted to punch it off its hinges. Instead, his hand went through the door. The sound of bones breaking was heard.

At first, Heinous stood still, trying to figure out what the soft and squishy thing he had his hand around was. When he gave up, he pulled his hand back and stared wide-eyed at the item. Heinous was holding someone's heart! The robot dropped the heart and dug all six of his claws into the door. He pulled the door off and threw it over his head. In the doorway, there was a guard lying on his front with a gapping hole on his back, drenched with blood.

"Oops," said Heinous with a grin as he put his left hand to his mouth, as if he cared.

Heinous looked to his right and saw stairs leading upwards. He knew that the first door on the right was the security room. Heinous sprinted towards the stairs and started running up them. He stopped when he saw a guard at the top. Although it couldn't be seen, the guard was smiling behind his mask.

Heinous' question was answered when the guard took out a remote and pressed a button. Suddenly the stairs became a slippery slide. Heinous lost his balance and fell down the slide. There were three new guards (or victims) at the bottom of the slide.

Heinous slid down, feet first and crashed his feet into two of the guards. The scientist's feet went straight through the guards' bodies, killing them instantly. This was almost too easy. Heinous pierced the remaining guard's neck with his claws. After the guard had died, Heinous threw the carcase at the other guard who was still at the top of the stairs/slide.

The corpse hit the other guard and made him drop the remote. The remote slid down the slide and landed in Heinous' hand. By the first guess, Heinous brought the stairs back to normal. Heinous ran up the stairs at incredible speed. The remaining guard hadn't been killed by the corpse. Heinous quickly killed the guard by smashing his skull with his foot.

Heinous was beginning to get used to the blood he was constantly seeing.

Heinous kicked the door to the security room down and killed the fat guy, eating donuts, by grabbing his head and slamming it into the screens seventeen times. The console was stained with crimson.

(Author's Note: Okay, the gore and violence has stopped, so, all you wussies can come out now)

Heinous tossed the body aside and searched for a button. He found the button he sought. It was bright red, right between the camera change button and the alarm button. Speaking of alarm, the alarm was still going. Heinous pressed the alarm button and that annoying noise ceased.

Heinous turned his attention to the primary objective. On the big, red button, in white capital letters was 'ROOF ALARMS AND DEFENCES'.

Heinous pressed the button and the helpdesk voice came out of nowhere and said, "Roof alarm and defences deactivated."

Heinous' head went to radio mode. He sent a message to the robots outside. "Presto. All clear."

Heinous then picked up the broken door. Once he was outside the security room, he welded the door shut with laser beams which came from his eyes. After that was done, he ran down the stairs and turned left. He knew exactly where he was going.

* * *

**Outside the base…**

The robo roosters had just received the transmission. All nine of the robots raised their right hands, which were equipped with Swingshots. The hooks shot up and caught themselves on the railings. The robots were pulled up and safely made it to the roof.

The robots had no idea where they were supposed to go, so they waited for the next instruction.

* * *

**Inside the base...**

The last guard fell to the floor, a big hole in his chest. Heinous smiled and looked at the door which was in front of him. He hurled a green ball of plasma at the door. The door exploded into several pieces. Heinous walked inside and observed the room.

It was just a big white room. The only things that where in the room, were Dr. Heinous, the deplanetiser, which had its laser pointing down, and the cables which held the deplanetiser in place. There were four cables, each one hanging from the ceiling. Every cable held one side of the weapon in place.

Heinous went into radio more and sent another message to the robo rosters. "Follow this signal from where this transmission came from and destroy the ceiling, or in your cases, the floor. I'll be waiting."

* * *

**Outside the base…**

The message was received and the robots followed the signal. They had to climb quite a lot to the destination.

The robots reached the destination. All nine stood in a circle around the roof. Then the robots equipped Nitro Launchers and shot five powerful bombs each into the middle.

* * *

**Inside the base…**

The ceiling was destroyed. Debris fell onto the deplanetiser, luckily, the weapon wasn't damaged. The robo roosters jumped into the newly created hole, onto the deplanetiser. Five of the robots jumped down, but four stayed on the weapon.

Heinous sent another instruction, via radio, to the robo rooster which hadn't come along and which was still in the cargo ship. "Now's your cue."

Meanwhile, the five robots who jumped down where at the laser's tip, waiting. Heinous' wings came out and he flew to the cables. He sliced the hard metal with his claws. He didn't attack the cables from the ceiling; he attacked them from the places which were holding the laser.

The laser's tip hit the hard floor and, because of the deplanetiser's 'T' shape, the weapon threatened to fall. Luckily, the five robo roosters caught the tip and, with their robotic strength, held it in place. Heinous helped the robots hold the laser.

Meanwhile, the cargo ship, driven by a robo rooster, was hovering above the hole. Somewhere near the back, a trap door opened. An object which was supported by a steel rope, much resembling a crane magnet, descended into the hole. The object didn't touch the deplanetiser when it stopped; it stayed three metres above. The four robo roosters used each other to form a ladder. The one at the top pressed four buttons and four hooks emerged from the object. The hooks pointed in four different directions.

The ladder of robots broke up and each robot grabbed a hook. The hooks were safely attached to the sides of the deplanetiser. One of the robots dropped down near the others and saluted Heinous, giving him the picture that they had done their part.

Heinous nodded and threw one robot at a time to the top of the laser. After that was done, Heinous flew up and landed on the laser. His wings went in and he gave the last instruction to the robot which was flying the cargo ship. "Alright, lift us up."

The laser began to rise, taking Heinous and nine robo roosters with it. The hole in the roof was big enough for the deplanetiser to pass through and so was the trap door in the cargo ship.

The laser went through the opening and the door slid shut. The robots jumped off the laser. Heinous ran to the cock pit and took hold of the controls. After telling everyone to be seated, Heinous drove the ship out of Planet Koros' atmosphere. After shifting to auto-pilot, Heinous called all the robo roosters to the back to congratulate them on a job well done.

* * *

**On the asteroid…**

"Sir?"

"What is it, Lawrence?"

"Sorry to disturb your 'work', sir, but you may want to know that a ship has entered my range of teleporting."

If Dr. Nefarious was organic, he'd have raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know, Lawrence?"

"I checked if there was a ship near by, by looking at my wrist," Lawrence fiddled with his wrist a bit more. "That is odd. It seems that the ship is heading straight f--" Lawrence was cut off when Nefarious pulled him into a crushing hug.

"WE'RE FREE, LAWRENCE! WE'RE FREE!" Nefarious screamed.

Nefarious dropped Lawrence and started running around the asteroid, saying 'we are free' again and again.

* * *

**Aboard the dropship which was transporting Al, Ed, Will and Jane…**

"Umm, sir?" the driver called.

"Yes, ranger?" asked Ed.

"I have the asteroid in view."

"Okay then. Everyone, man your stations!"

Everyone was armed with a stun gun. Al, Jane and seven rangers stood on one side of the ship, their back on the driver. Ed, Will and eight rangers faced them, providing a five metre space between the groups.

"As soon as you see them, zap them," said Ed.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then they waited. The only thing that could be heard was the hum of the dropship's engines.

They didn't have to wait long. Two orange entities appeared in the centre of the room. Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence where aboard the ship.

"Okay, Lawrence," Nefarious began, "let's kill the pilot and get out of h--"

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"Get out of what, sir?" asked Lawrence. There was no reply. "Sir? S--"

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Lawrence fell next to his master. Al had zapped Nefarious and Ed had zapped Lawrence. But, why didn't Nefarious and his butler see them? Who cared? Nefarious and Lawrence had been captured.

"Good job, guys," said Ed. He went to the communicator and selected the Starship Phoenix's frequency.

"Starship Phoenix staff. How may I help you?" a ranger on the other line asked.

"Hi. This is Ed. I have an important message for Captain Sasha."

"Hold on, sir. This'll only take a second."

The screen went black for a second before Sasha's face popped up.

"Ed, report," said Sasha.

"Good news, Captain. We finally got him."

* * *

HA HA! Cliff-hanger! Please review! 


	17. Captured

Disclaimers: I don't own Ra--THAT'S IT! By now, it's obvious that I don't own Ratchet and Clank. So, there!

Thanks SLYFOXX, captain deoxys, Sarge11 and Nezdreg for reviewing.

I'd like to thank a reviewer for telling me when to put 'have a nice day'. I have deleted it from the last chapter.

I have the story's ending all figured out, but I'm having trouble squeezing in the boring bits. My muse, ya know?

Once again, this chapter will have hardly any connection with the title.

Here's another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Captured**

Ratchet's ship landed in the Phoenix's hanger. The lombax stepped out of his ship. He had just returned from the Obani Gemini. He always went there whenever he was feeling down. It was just so peaceful.

After receiving greetings from the patrolling rangers, Ratchet head for his quarters for some good gaming. The doors slid opened when Ratchet noticed that someone was watching his holovid.

"Um. Hello?" Ratchet called.

The holovid switched off and a small robot came into view from behind the couch.

"Ratchet?"

"Hey, Clank," Ratchet said, "what brings you here?"

"Greetings Ratchet. It is good to see you again," Clank said. "Sit down; there's something I must tell you."

Ratchet sat down on the couch next to the robot. Clank didn't look 'happy' in his case.

"What's up?" asked Ratchet.

_Fifteen minutes later…_

"WHAT?" Ratchet bellowed.

(Author's Note: Clank explained everything blah-blah-blah)

"It is true, Ratchet," Clank confirmed, "Sasha came if five minutes ago and said that a dropship is transporting Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence here as we speak."

"But Nefarious will never team up with us. And if he does, how do we know he won't betray us?"

"That's a chance we'll just have to take, Ratchet. Dr. Nefarious is the only living relative of Dr. Heinous. He could know his weakness."

"But why don't they trust me?"

"Because, according to Sasha, you broke both your legs last time you encountered Dr. Heinous."

"I made a mistake, Clank! One which I won't repeat."

"Perhaps Dr. Nefarious could team up with us and make things easier."

"Fat chance."

Ratchet then remembered what Dr. Heinous had said when he and Ratchet first met.

"_Did Nefarious send you?"_

"_Nefarious? HA! I don't take orders from that looser."_

"Hey, Clank. If Nefarious betrays us, I don't think he'll team up with Heinous."

"What makes you say that, Ratchet?"

"Call it a hunch."

* * *

Heinous' ship was hovering above the base. 

The base was just as Heinous hope it would be. It was just one gigantic cube and nothing more. One mile by one mile, forty stories high, a landing pad on top, several windows lined on all four sides except for the eighteenth floor downwards, made entirely of metal, several doors and, most of all, a dark orange colour.

There where thousands of constructobots. Some were walking around, carrying building material; others were using vehicles to transport material.

Heinous landed the ship on the landing pad. He disembarked the vessel, carrying Sandy under his right arm. The troopers and robo roosters followed. Three constructobots were tinkering with a satellite dish.

"Constructobots," Heinous called. The constructobots looked towards Heinous. "Come here." The robots didn't respond and kept tinkering with the satellite dish.

"Come here!" Heinous bellowed, but the robots didn't obey.

Heinous was getting angry. "GET YOUR STUPID ASS HERE AT ONCE! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Nothing.

Suddenly, the pissed off Heinous remembered.

"_I'll be leaving for a while, so in my absence, follow what this guy says until I return,"_

It was obvious that these robots weren't the originals. Heinous had to find Albert and tell him to tell the constructobots to stop obeying him and start obeying Dr. Heinous.

However, Heinous wasn't linked to his butler via radio, so Heinous did the next best thing.

"_**ALBERT, GET YOUR ASS ON THE BASE'S ROOF RIGHT NOW! YOUR MASTER HAS RETURNED!"**_

After five minutes, near the edge of the roof a rectangular structure rose. A door slid downwards, revealing Albert.

"You called, sir?" he asked.

"Yes I did," Heinous said, as he marched closer to his butler. "These robots," he pointed to the constructobots which were still working on the satellite dish, "when I asked one of them to come here, it didn't come. I need you to go get me the original ten robots. Bring them to my room."

"Right away, sir," Albert said.

The robot blarg began to walk to the elevator, but he was stopped be none other that his master. "Hold it!"

"Yes, sir?" asked Albert, turning around.

"I have no idea where my room is."

"But you designed the building yourself, sir."

"You're right, Albert; I know exactly where to go," Heinous chuckled.

Albert nodded and went to the elevator. The elevator sank into the roof. Heinous turned to the robots behind him.

"Robo roosters, stay in or near the ship. If you go inside, don't touch anything. I'll be getting the laser inside soon, so be ready. As for you, troopers, follow me."

The robo roosters stayed put while the troopers saluted and followed Dr. Heinous. The scientist approached the spot where the elevator was. He stomped his right foot five times. The elevator arose from the ground and the single door slid downwards.

There was enough space for all the robots. Heinous walked in first, Sandy under his arm. The troopers followed. The inside of the elevator was that of a typical elevator. Heinous pressed the button for the thirty-fifth floor. The door slid upwards.

The elevator wasn't slow; the doors opened and all the robots stepped out, except for Sandy, who was still being carried.

The robots where in a hall which led in two different directions. There was a door in front of the elevator with a sign on it, which said 'STAIRS'. The floor, wall and ceiling were white. The walls were empty of decorations.

"If I know this base well… " Heinous began, scratching his chin, "… my room should be… that way," he pointed and gesture for the troopers to follow.

The robots travelled down the hall. Left, right, right, left….

The group arrived in front of a huge, metal door. It was bright orange and had a big, red 'H' in the middle. The door was clearly two stories high and had a rectangular shape.

To the right, a few metres down the hall, there was a small door. It was coloured baby blue and had a big, black 'A' in the middle. This had to be Albert's room.

Heinous approached the door. Somehow, the door detected the scientist's presence and slid to the left. The robots walked in.

The room was huge. Like the hall the square-tiled floor, walls and ceiling were white. There where four small windows on the far end of the room, facing the group. Other than those, there was nothing else; the room was empty.

Heinous went in the centre of the room and looked around, he was still carrying Sandy. The troopers silently waited for orders near the huge door which had closed.

"Yes, quite lovely," Heinous said, "this should just about do it."

(Author's Note: There's no need to tell me that Drek said this line in Ratchet and Clank 1)

"Troopers," he turned to the troopers. "Go back to the blue ship and bring all its cargo here. I'll sort everything out. Leave the blue ship in the cargo ship, though. The robo roosters will be helping you. Once you're done, wait outside the cargo ship. You do know which way to go and which buttons to press, do you?"

The troopers nodded.

"Well then, get to it."

The troopers saluted and left the room. Heinous sent a message via radio transition to the robo roosters to help the troopers.

The scientist waited in the empty room while looking out one of the windows at the working constructobots, his arm absentmindedly stroking Sandy. Each robot was tirelessly working hard to make their master proud.

'_Soon, everything will be complete,'_ Heinous thought, _'all organic life in the Solana Galaxy will be no more and I, Dr. Heinous, will rein supreme.'_

The scientist was disturbed from his thoughts when the door opened by themselves and troopers and robo roosters came into the room, carrying all of Heinous' and Albert's belongings. They carefully set the items down in the middle of the room and marched back to the ship to get more.

Heinous sighed.

"Sir?"

Heinous turned around to face his butler.

"Yes, Albert?"

"Sorry to disturb your thoughts, sir, but the robots you sent me for are here."

"Good, good."

The ten original constructobots stood, awaiting orders.

"Listen; since I'm back, I want you to only listen to me and send messages to the other robots to do the same. Kay?"

The constructobots nodded. Troopers and robo roosters came in again, carrying the last of the luggage. They left shortly after.

"Good," Heinous said. "Now, I'm going to need your and some other constructobots' help, moving a very delicate weapon. By any chance, is there a large machine with an extendible claw to reach out and pick things up?"

The constructobots nodded. How much the robots understood Dr. Heinous impressed Albert.

"Perfect," said Heinous.

* * *

Ratchet was playing some random game against Skidd, who was losing. Clank just watched. 

"I win again!" Ratchet shouted as he stood up, holding the joystick above his head.

"Aw, man," mumbled Skidd.

Ratchet sat down. "How about another round, Skidd?"

"Nah. Sorry, dude; I've got important work to do at the Bridge," Skidd replied, putting his joystick on the table.

"Work? The only work you do is sleep."

"Hey! It's not as easy as it looks. Sometimes, I have to change position. Sometimes, there's a lot of noise from Helga, complaining. Sometimes, I have to make it look like I'm working. Someti--"

"Okay, Skidd, I get it."

"Cool," Skidd got up, "later, dudes." The man left the room.

Ratchet turned to Clank. "Hey, Clank. Wanna play?"

The robot gave the lombax a confused look.

(Author's Note: Imagine that)

Ratchet faced the holovid. "Yeah. Didn't think so."

He just started playing, when Sasha came into the room. Of course, Ratchet hadn't noticed this, because he was too busy playing.

"Greetings, Captain Sasha," said Clank.

"Hey, Clank," said Sasha, "hey, Ratchet."

Ratchet paused and turned around. He smiled.

"Hey, Sasha," he said.

"Listen, Ratchet. You need to know what's going on. When you where in the infirmary, we found information on Dr. He--" Ratchet cut her off.

"It's okay," he stood up and faced her, "Clank explained everything."

Sasha looked at Clank and received a nod from the robot.

"And you're okay with it?" Sasha asked Ratchet.

"No. I'm not," the lombax replied, "but if it means saving the galaxy, I have no choice."

Suddenly, a ranger charged into the room. He was running to fast and tripped. The robot slid and stopped at Sasha's feet. The ranger got up and dusted himself.

"Captain, I have urgent news for you!" the ranger said.

"What is it?" asked Sasha.

"The dropship has arrived."

(Author's Note: I'm feeling a little generous, so this chapter will continue. But I won't be so generous next time. Beware the cliff-hangers!)

Ratchet was the first to leave the room. He was followed by none other than Sasha and the ranger. Clank was last, running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

The dropship had landed. Its door opened. And then, Ratchet saw him.

Dr. Nefarious was being carried from his shoulders and feet by two rangers. The mad robot was in a state of unconsciousness. Another two rangers exited the dropship, carrying Lawrence in the same way the other two rangers were carrying Nefarious. Eight rangers exited the ship, followed by Ed, Will, Jane and Al.

Ed approached the captain.

"Where do we put them, Captain?" he asked.

"Put them in the Phoenix's hold," replied Sasha.

Ed turned to the rangers, "You heard the captain. Put Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence in the Phoenix's hold."

The rangers continued walking.

Another ranger came in from the entrance to the pod which transports people to and from the Bridge.

"Captain," the ranger called, "the president wants to talk to you."

"Now what?" Sasha mumbled Sasha.

The cazar ran up the stares, followed by Clank, who had just caught up, and Ratchet. The ranger also followed.

* * *

The group just arrived. The president's face was on the giant screen. Sasha stood in front of Qwark's chair, the 'superhero' too sleepy to notice. Ratchet and Clank stood behind her. 

"Hello, Sasha, Agent Clank, chauffer," the president greeted.

Everyone rolled their eyes, except for Clank for obvious reasons.

"I just got word about this 'Dr. Heinous' guy who threatens to destroy all organic life in the galaxy. I've only heard about his rampage on Planet Kalebo III. And just now, I've gotten word that he infiltrated a base on Planet Koros, killed sixty-two people and stole a very powerful weapon."

"What weapon would that be, Mr. President?" Clank asked.

"Drek's deplanetiser, of course."

"What?" yelled Ratchet.

"I said 'Drek's deplanetiser, of course', Jeeves."

"But, Mr. President, wasn't the deplanetiser was destroyed?" asked Clank.

"Well, Agent Clank, it wasn't. Our research team took it, fixed it and put it on Base D on Planet Koros encase it would ever be needed again in the future."

"Well, that was stupid," Ratchet remarked.

"It was not, Jeeves!" the president retorted.

Everyone, including Clank, sighed.

"Where were you when the base was attacked? Hmmmmm?"

Ratchet crossed his arms, turned around and pouted.

(Author's Note: Sorry if that was OOC)

"Anyways," the president continued, "let me cut right to the chase. The reason I'm calling is that, if I heard correctly, you're gonna team up with Dr. Nefarious in order to stop Dr. Heinous, because he's the only living relative, am I right?"

Sasha nodded.

"Well, as much as I disagree with this, I'm gonna let it happen. Who knows? Maybe you'll become good friends."

"Yeah right," Ratchet mumbled.

"What was that, _chauffer_?"

"Nothing, Mr. President."

"Okay then. As I was saying, two other people and I will be coming aboard the Phoenix to witness you guys trying to convince Dr. Nefarious to team up with us."

"And who are those other two people, Mr. President?" asked Sasha.

"Why, Darla Gratch and her cameraman, of course. They'll be filming everything and broadcasting it on Channel 64 News."

"WHAT?" Ratchet bellowed after turning around.

"I said 'why, Darla Gratch and her cameraman, of course. They'll be f--'"

"I heard what you said," Ratchet interrupted, "but why do you want to show this on the news?"

"The public has a right to know, son. Okay, I'm done. See you in half an hour."

"But, Mr. Pr--" Clank began but was cut off when the screen went black.

"Great," Ratchet sarcastically muttered under his breadth.

* * *

"A little to your left… A little more… Now forward… Lower… Higher…. A little to your right… Perfect." 

Dr. Heinous, still holding that damn sand shark, and Albert where in the lower level of the base, the hugest room, which was eighteen stories high. At the moment, a crane with four cables, much like the crane of the cargo ship, was positioning the deplanetiser.

Earlier, the cargo ship had lowered the laser into a vehicle; the vehicle transported the weapon inside a humongous room. A crane grabbed the deplanetiser and was moving it around until it reached the right area.

The big room, which Dr. Heinous called 'The Big Room', was, in fact big. It was eighteen stories high and, like the base, one mile by one mile. There where lots of stairs and railings everywhere. There were three elevators; two were for getting around The Big Room easily, and the other was for reaching the nineteenth floor.

Now that the deplanetiser was in place, Heinous summoned thirty constructobots outside.

"Listen up, constructobots," the scientist bellowed, "I'll be leaving this planet and going to Planet Daxx. While I'm gone, I'll need you to find me a few things." Heinous got out some blue paper from nowhere. "Firstly, fifteen of you will search for four items that look like these. If you can't find them, then build them," on the paper, was a picture of a giant magnifying glass that looked like it was attached to a long pole that had many joints. "Secondly," continued Heinous, "the other fifteen of you will build a mobile crane and, after you're done with that, build this." Heinous took out another blue paper. On it, there was a picture of a cylinder which was curved at the edges. There were very accurate measurings written on the sides.

(Author's Note: The cylinder looks like the egg you find inside a Kinder Surprise)

"Sir, what is that for?" asked Albert.

"I can't tell you, Albert. You'll find out some day… if you're still alive," Heinous replied.

Albert didn't like to sound of that.

"Okay," Heinous continued to the robots, "you fifteen," he pointed to fifteen constructobots, "scan this paper and do what I told you. When you're successful, put the items in The Big Room," the robots nodded and, one by one, scanned the paper which had the picture of the magnifying glass. They marched to the city.

Heinous pointed to five of the remaining fifteen constructobots and said, "Build a crane that has a hook big enough to lift this," he showed them the picture of the cylindrical object. The constructobots nodded and proceeded to the city.

"The rest of you," he pointed to the remaining ten robots, "scan and find. If you don't find then build," he held out the paper and the robots scanned it. The remaining ten constructobots began walking to the city.

Heinous sighed in relief. "Whew. I don't have to draw anymore."

"Right," Albert agreed. "Sir, what, exactly, did you mean by 'still alive'?"

"Don't worry, Albert. Don't think of the future; think of the present, in which we are making excellent progress."

"Okay."

"Robo roosters," Heinous called. The robots, which just happened to be being the scientist and his butler the whole time along with the troopers, came. "Help Albert carry his stuff to his room. You'll find his stuff in my room."

The robo roosters walked away and so did Albert.

"Troopers," Heinous called, "let's go."

The troopers saluted and followed Heinous to the cargo ship.

Heinous sat in the cock pit and buckled up. "This is gonna be easy," he said to Sandy while starting the ship up.

The cargo ship hovered and left the planet.

* * *

(Author's Note: Thought it was over? Think again!) 

"Ugh, my aching head. Lawrence? Lawrence? Are ya there?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Where are we? Why is it so dark?"

"I honestly don't know, sir."

"Could you get some light in this place?"

"I wish I could, sir, but it seems as if my wrists and ankles are restrained."

"Mine too, Lawrence. And it feels as if we're on a wall."

"It certainly does, sir."

"Oh, I don't like this, Lawrence. What if we're stuck here for ever?"

"Now, sir, calm down an--"

"I can't calm down! Don't you see?"

"I wish I could."

"Lawrence, this is serious!"

"Sorry, sir."

"I can't believe it, Lawrence; we escaped only to be captured again and shoved in this dark and scary place!"

"Now, sir, there's no need to be so dramat--"

"Yes there is, Lawrence! Have I ever told you that I'm claustrophobic?"

"Yes you have, sir."

"I can feel the walls closing in on me right now. I'M RUNNING OUTTA OXYGEN!"

"Oh please, sir, we're robots; we don't breathe."

"Yeah, Lawrence, you're right."

"Why don't you use your powers to get us out of here?"

"That's a good idea! RRRRRRH! MMMMHMHHM! FFFFLFLFLFL! It's not working; there restraints are preventing me from using my powers!"

"Uh oh."

"Now, what do we do?"

"I don't know, sir, maybe we should--are you crying?"

"**_WHAT? CRYING? _**No way, Lawrence, you're imagining!"

"Of course. How could I have been so idiotic?"

"Yeah, Lawrence, how could you have been s--do you hear that?"

"Yes. It sounds like a door opening."

"It IS the sound of a door opening. We're free again!"

"I see light."

"So do I."

"I see a silhouette."

"So do I."

"I see the silhouette reaching for a light switch."

"So do I."

"The light is on."

"Yes it is."

"Huh?"

"**_WHAT? A SUISHY?"_**

The silhouette was that of Sasha.

"Hello, Nefarious," she said, "nice to see you again."

Nefarious growled.

"Are you the bastards who did this to me and Lawrence?"

"Yes we are," replied Sasha with a grin.

Then Al came into the room, followed by Skidd, Helga, Ed, Will, Jane, Ratchet, Clank, ten rangers, Skrunch and Captain Qwark.

Nefarious and Qwark shot each other deadly glares.

"Captain Qwark," said Nefarious.

"Dr. Nefarious," said Qwark.

"Dumb ass."

"Geek."

"Idiot."

"Nerd."

"Moron."

"Looser."

"Stink face."

"Hammer head."

"Ass-chinned."

"Pointy-headed."

"Cinder garden dropout!"

"Gym dropout!"

"False superhero!"

"Mamma's boy!"

"Ugly!"

"Spoilt brat!"

"Coward!"

"Loud!"

"ANNOYING!"

"SCREECHING!"

"ORGANIC!"

"METAL!"

It was funny how Dr. Nefarious completely ignored Ratchet and yelled at Qwark.

While everyone waited for Nefarious and Qwark to stop calling each other stupid names, Lawrence observed the room.

He and Nefarious were, indeed, restrained and hanging on a wall. Lawrence was to Nefarious' right. In front of the two, there was a sliding door where everyone stood. The room's walls were bright blue. The same for the floor. The ceiling was white. There weren't any windows. There was a small light bulb, hanging from the ceiling. Other that features those, the room was empty.

(Author's Note: Okay, I know you guys are tired of reading about the rooms being empty. Is it my fault that I'm a lazy bugger?)

"Will you guys shut up?" Ed yelled.

"DON'T INTERUPT!" Nefarious and Qwark yelled at Ed in unison.

Ed sighed in defeat.

A loud whistle stopped the argument. Everyone looked at Skidd.

"Can you guys, like, chill out?" said Skidd, removing his fingers from his mouth.

"Yeah," said Al, "we're not here to fight; we're here to talk."

"Talk?" Nefarious screamed. "Oh, I'll talk. Let's start with: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

"We have a lot of explaining to do," said Jane.

"YA SURE DO!"

Suddenly the president walked in, followed by Darla Gratch and a man, holding a camera.

"Oh look," Nefarious said in a sarcastic tone, "the galactic president, Darla Gratch and cameraman. This just keeps getting better and better."

* * *

Another cliff-hanger. Glad that's over. It took me four days to write this. 

I apologise if there are too many Author's Notes.

Whatever you guys do, don't give suggestions for what happens next; just review and tell me what you think.

I'll take a while to update the next chapter. Sorry…

Anyway, please review and don't flame!


	18. Trying to convince Nefarious

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, Angela would have made a cameo in the third game.

Thanks SLYFOXX, Gruntzilla and Sarge11 for reviewing.

This chapter is ninety-one percent conversation.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Trying to convince Nefarious**

"This is Darla Gratch, reporting live from the Starship Phoenix," said Darla into the camera as she held a microphone with a 64 on it. "We have just been granted permission to view this once in a life time story. As you all know, there is a new villain who threatens the wellbeing of our beloved galaxy. As you can see behind me, the 'thought-to-be-defeated' Dr. Nefarious is hanging from a wall, the restraints keeping him from using his robotic powers. The Q-Force is trying to convince the robotic scientist to team up with them so that they'll be able to defeat this new villain. According to what I was told, Dr. Nefarious has relations with this new villain. He might know the enemy's weakness. Let's film this, shall we?"

"Dr. Nefarious," said Ed, "the galaxy is in grave danger and our hero is unable to stop this villain."

"Hey!" Ratchet called.

"You squishies need my help?" Nefarious asked before collapsing in his high-pitched laughter. "Pffft! Never! And what does this 'villain plan to do, anyway?"

"Destroy all organic life in the Solana Galaxy," Ed replied.

"WHAT? That's my job! How dare they copy me!"

"Exactly," Will said, "you're the one who should be trying to destroy organics."

"Will!" Jane called, "what are you doing?"

"Just trust me on this," Will whispered in reply. He turned to Nefarious, "You're the one who thought of it first; you should be doing this."

"Yeah, you're right," Nefarious said. His eyes widened in realization. "Wait a minute! You're trying to trick me, aren't you? Trying to get inside my mind and screw with me, huh? Well, lemme tell ya something, squishy. I'M NOT GONNA FALL FOR IT!"

Will frowned at this. "Should we use the chip?" he asked Sasha.

"Chip? What chip?" Nefarious demanded in a scared tone.

"No," said Sasha, ignoring Nefarious, "not yet."

"Let me try something," Al said. He approached Nefarious. "Nefarious, you are a man of unique talents. Wouldn't it be nice to use those talents for good, instead of evil?"

"I've always been using them for good, you moron," Nefarious replied in a plain voice. "You squishies are nothing but scum for Solana. I was trying to purify this galaxy. Rid it of its horrible, fleshy, meaty, smelly and destructive creatures. Isn't that right, Lawrence?"

Lawrence was staring into space. The mentioning of his name snapped him out of it.

He hesitated then said, "Of course, sir."

"What, are going to team up with this bad guy?" asked the president.

"No," replied Nefarious, "I'm gonna find a way to free myself. Once that's done, I'll search for and kill all of you. When you blood's splattered all over the floor, I'll find this wannabe, destroy him or her and fulfil my life's work: TO OBLITERATE ALL ORGANIC LIFE IN THE SOLANA GALAXY!"

Everyone sighed or groaned in defeat; they where back where they started. Dr. Nefarious was too stubborn to agree to team up with them.

"Use the chip, Will," Sasha said.

"Will do," said Will.

(Author's Note: No pun intended)

"Again with the chip," moaned Nefarious. "Will someone please tell me what this 'chip' is?"

Will approached the robot, holding the chip in his right hand.

"What's that?" asked Nefarious.

Will stretched his right hand towards space between Nefarious' red eyes

But Will didn't manage to place the chip at its destination, because Nefarious bit his hand in the only defence possible.

"OUCH!" screamed Will.

"That'll teach you!" Nefarious yelled.

"Can I get some help here?" Will asked the rangers.

Two rangers approached. One held Nefarious' head at bay while the other kept his mouth shut.

"Mmmmm…"

Will placed the chip in between the robot's eyes. The rangers let go.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Nefarious screamed as sparks erupted from the chip all over his body, brightening the room. His head shook madly, his eyes clenched shut and he would have pissed himself if he was still organic.

At first, everyone gasped and remained quiet, but after five minutes of non-stop screaming, Darla was the first to speak.

"Mr. Will," Darla called, holding her microphone to Will's mouth, "what is happening to Dr. Nefarious?"

"The chip is designed to turn evil robots good. Right now, the chip is trying to take over his mind and make him like organics."

"Was this chip specially designed for Dr. Nefarious?"

"Yes; when Nefarious was terrorising the galaxy a year ago, the team and I began making it. Unfortunately, by the time we finished, Ratchet and Clank had already beaten Dr. Nefarious."

"I see."

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Everyone looked at the robot.

Nefarious was hanging limp. He would have fallen if there weren't any restraints. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes were closed and he had scorch marks all over his body.

Nefarious' eyes slowly opened. He looked up to face everyone. There wasn't a sound to be heard.

Suddenly, Nefarious' red eyes turned pink, then the red circle on his chest turned pink and, lastly, the red stripes from his knees to his ankles and from his elbows to his wrists turned pink.

"Hello," said Nefarious in a happy tone, "do you guys want to come to my tea party? There's gonna be Mr. Fuzzy Pants, Mrs. Pancakes and Little Miss Happy Burger."

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Sir, are you okay?" asked Lawrence, a bit confused.

"Why, I'm better than okay, Larry," Nefarious said before giggling.

"'Larry'?" asked Lawrence in surprise, "you never called me that before."

"Of course I did, silly. You were just too busy, eating a toothpaste pizza to realize."

Ratchet and Qwark were trying to hold their laughter in.

"Are you getting this?" Darla asked the cameraman.

The man gave a 'thumbs up'.

"Did the chip work?" Ed asked Will.

"I think so…" replied Will.

"Well, if you're not sure, go check," Jane said.

Will went up to Nefarious.

"Dr. Nefarious?" Will called, "do you hate organics life forms?"

"Why, heavens no! And what's with 'Nefarious'? Is that my name? I don't like it; I want to be called 'Mr. Nice'."

"'Mr. Nice'?"

Just then, Ratchet and Qwark burst out laughing and collapsed on the floor. They had been holding it in for way too long.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

Nefarious looked at them and frowned. His pink parts returned to their red colour.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, YOU SQUISHIES?" he yelled in his usual, angry voice.

Ratchet and Qwark stopped laughing. Nefarious' red parts turned pink again.

"Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry, Mr. Ratchet and Mr. Qwark," he said in the happy tone, "I had no idea what I was thinking."

"Dr. Nefarious," said Clank, his head chocked to the left, "are you sure you're okay; you're acting a bit odd."

That made Nefarious' parts turn red again. "'Odd'? What do you mean 'odd', you squishy-loving windup toy!"

Clank gasped. Nefarious turned pink.

"Whoops. Have to watch my temper," said Mr. Nice.

"Hmmm," Will scratched his chin.

(Author's Note: When I write 'Dr. Nefarious', it's when his parts are red, and when I write 'Mr. Nice', it's when his parts are pink. A little like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

"I'm tired of this!" Dr. Nefarious yelled. "Let me go--"

"--and get the pots for the--" Mr. Nice began, but was cut off by his 'alter ego'.

"--destruction of all squishies in--"

"--Fairytale Land--"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH! MAKE IT STOP!"

Sparks erupted from Nefarious then, nothing.

"Mr. Will," Darla said, "what happened?"

"Yeah, that was, like, totally wack, man," said Skidd.

"The chip was trying to make Nefarious good. But he resisted."

"This was sort of like a battle between alter egos in one body?"

"You can say that. Dr. Nefarious is battling against Mr. Nice for control of the body."

Suddenly, Nefarious came to.

"Sir, are you back to normal?" Lawrence asked.

"I think so," Nefarious replied.

Suddenly…

"I'm as fid as a fiddle, Larry," said Mr. Nice.

"Oh no! It's happening again! Remove this chip n--!" Nefarious began, but was cut off by Mr. Nice.

"Marry had a little lamb--"

"--which was transformed into a robot, thanks to the Biobliterator--"

"--but Mary still loved the lamb, even if it was a robot. Everyone was happy--"

"--until the robotic lamb bit Mary's head off--"

"--the lamb used the head to feed her young and they all lived happily ever after."

"…"

"Care to comment on this, Mr. President?" Darla asked the president, holding her microphone to his face.

"Yeah," said the president with a grin, "this is hilarious."

The chip began to spark. The device fell off Nefarious' head and was engulfed in flames.

"No!" Mr. Nice screamed. "Without… me, there's… only…"

The eyes, stripes, and circle turned red.

"DR. NEFARIOUS!" the robot screamed with a smirk. "MR. NICE IS NO MORE! Ha ha, squishy. Looks like your stupid chip didn't work!"

"There goes two weeks work," Will muttered to himself.

"We shouldn't have asked for help," Sasha said.

"Yeah," Al greed, "it was all a waste of time."

"Ya see? You should have asked me," said Ratchet as he walked to the middle of the room, "you should have given me a second chance to beat Dr. Heinous."

Nefarious' eyes opened wide; same for Lawrence.

"What did you say, Ratchet?" Nefarious asked, his voice a combination between anger and fear.

Ratchet turned to face Nefarious. "'Dr. Heinous'."

"Would that happed to be Dr. _Jeremiah_ Heinous?" Nefarious asked.

"Yes," said Jane.

"Dr. Jeremiah _Francis _Heinous?" asked Lawrence.

"Yeah," said Ed.

"Doctor Jeremiah Francis Heinous _IV_?" asked Nefarious.

Al, Will, Jane and Ed nodded.

"Uh oh," said Lawrence.

"**_RRRRRRRAUGH! HEINOUS! I HATE THAT GUY WITH EVERY CIR--!"_** Nefarious began, but was cut off when his head started receiving radio signals due to his anger.

"_Oh, Doctor. Tell me. Am I pregnant?" _

"_No, Janice, I'm pregnant." _

"_How can that me? You're a man." _

"_No, Janice, I'm really your evil twin sister!"…_

"What happened?" asked Jane.

"Well," Lawrence began, "this always happens when he gets very angry. I have no idea why we haven't gotten it fixed yet."

"What should we do?" asked Ed.

"I know what to do," said Ratchet, walking up to Nefarious.

"Wait!" said Qwark, running to Nefarious, "I wanna do it."

"No, it's okay. I can do it."

"But I wanna do it."

"Well, too late," Ratchet raised his hand.

He was about to slap Nefarious when Qwark elbowed him out of the way. Ratchet landed on his butt. The lombax growled and ran into Qwark. The two were brawling in the shape of a ball which kept rolling around the room. Everyone just watched, not saying anything. Bits of orange and yellow fur and green latex were flying everywhere.

"What do we need to do to bring Nefarious back, Lawrence?" Jane asked Lawrence.

"Just slap him in the head real hard," replied Lawrence.

Jane approached Nefarious.

Ratchet and Qwark stopped fighting. Ratchet had a lot of fur missing while Qwark had a lot of pieces of his costume missing.

"NO!" they screamed in unison.

"_Lance, I'm not pregnant." _

"_You're not? Then who's pregnant?" _

"_Oh, Lance, it's--"_

Jane slapped Nefarious and brought him back.

"_**--CUITRY IN MY BEING!" **_

All was silent (again).

"Wait a minute," said Nefarious, "isn't Jeremy organic?"

"'Jeremy'?" asked Clank.

"Heinous' first name… sorta. He hates the name 'Jeremiah' so he asked to be called 'Jeremy' instead."

"Oh."

"You haven't answered my question. Isn't Jeremy organic?"

"Nope," said Ratchet, "last time I saw him, he and his butler were robots."

"Rrrrrh! He's always copying me; Jeremy!"

"Dr. Nefarious," said Clank, "the reason we asked for your help is because Dr. Heinous is planning to repeat the war between organics and robots again. Since you're his only living relation, you may know something about him which could help us. We thought you could be a hero, instead of a villain. A lot of people have been killed at the merciless hands of Dr. Heinous. You could fight alongside us. You won't be an outlaw. You won't be hated or loathed. You will be admired as a hero. Organic life forms have as much right to inhabit this galaxy as us robots. It's not late to redeem yourself."

Nefarious was silent. He heard every word, though.

"Why don't you tell us a about your childhood with Dr. Heinous?" asked Clank.

Nefarious sighed. "Should I tell them, Lawrence?" he asked, without looking at his butler.

"I think you should, sir," Lawrence replied.

"Okay," Nefarious looked at the floor. "I was six-years-old when it happened…"

* * *

Cliff-hanger alert! In the next chapter, you'll find out how Nefarious and Heinous met. 

Don't give suggestions; I already know what's gonna happen. And, trust me, it'll be great.

Sorry if you guys got a bit confused when Nefarious was switching personalities.

Please review but don't flame.


	19. The story of two brothers

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, the Revolverator would have made it into the first game. It will be in this story.

Thanks Gruntzilla and SLYFOXX for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: The story of two brothers**

_Nefarious sighed. "Should I tell them, Lawrence?" he asked, without looking at his butler._

"_I think you should, sir," Lawrence replied._

"_Okay," Nefarious looked at the floor. "I was six-years-old when it happened…" _

"Will, Jane, Al," said Ed, "take notes."

The three nodded and pulled out one pad, paper and pen each and began writing.

"My father, Johnny Nefarious …," Nefarious went on, "… he was in too deep with the mafia. He… was in a lot of dept. One day, when I was at school, my father stayed home with the flu. Two agents from the mafia were told to pay him a visit…"

* * *

(Author's Note: In the flashback, Nefarious won't be called 'Nefarious'; he'll be called 'Vince') 

_A small hover car pulled into the driveway. Mrs. Nefarious and her son, Vince stepped out. It had been another long day at school, but today was the day everyone looked forward to for it was Friday. _

_Vince, happily, ran to the front door._

"_Mommy," Vince called, "am I tall enough to open the door?"_

"_Why, yes you are, dear," Mrs. Nefarious replied._

"_Good afternoon, Jen," a neighbor called. _

"_Oh, hello, Ana," Mrs. Nefarious replied._

_Jen began walking to the fence to speak to Ana, when she felt something tugging her pants leg. She looked down to see her loving son. Jen smiled and began rummaging through her handbag. She pulled out a keycard and gave it to Vince._

"_Thanks, Mom," Vince happily said. The boy ran to the house to open the door for the first time while his mother went to spend some time, talking to the neighbor. _

_Vince was on tiptoes, trying to reach the slot for the keycard. He still wasn't tall enough. Then the boy had an idea. He removed his backpack from his back, put it on the welcome mat and stood on it. Now, he was tall enough. The door slid open to the right. Vince picked up his backpack and walked in. _

_The moment the door closed behind him, Vince was greeted by an awful smell. The boy coughed and waved his hand in front of his face to ward off the smell. This smell was unknown to the boy._

"_Dad?" the boy called. "Dad? Where are you? I'm home."_

_No answer._

"_Dad? This isn't funny!"_

_Vince discarded his backpack on the kitchen table and went to search for his father. His father always watched the holovid when he was sick, so Vince ran to the living room._

"_Ah, there you are, Dad," Vince happily said._

_Johnny Nefarious was lying on the couch on his back. His eyes were wide open but, for some reason, they weren't blinking. There was a crimson stain on the top left of his shirt. The horrible smell was coming from him._

"_Dad?" Vince called. "Dad? Wake up, Dad!"_

_The naïve boy began shaking the body. But the father didn't move. _

_Vince was oblivious to the truth. He ran outside to see his mother, still conversing with the next door neighbor. Vince ran up to her and tugged her pants leg. Jen looked down._

"_What is it, dear?" she asked._

"_Mommy!" the boy exclaimed. "It's Dad! He won't wake up! And his shirt is covered in red paint!"_

"_Red paint?" asked Ana._

"_Yes! Right here!" Vince pointed to his left side._

_Ana's and Jen's eyes widened. Vince still had no idea what was going on._

_Jen bent down. "Where?" she asked._

"_The living room!" Vince exclaimed, "Come; I'll show you!" _

_Jen and Vince ran to the house. Ana jumped over the fence and followed. The three ran through the front door, which Vince kept open. _

_When they arrived to the living room, they saw it. Johnny was dead. He had been shot once in the heart._

_Jen began crying over the loss of her husband._

"_What's wrong?" Vince asked Ana. "Why isn't Dad waking up?"_

_Ana knelt down so she was at the naïve boy's height. "He's dead," she said.

* * *

_

Everyone was shocked. Not only had Nefarious gone through a rough time, but he was openly telling everyone about it. 

Qwark was even beginning to feel sorry about picking on Nefarious so many years ago.

"Go on," said Sasha.

Nefarious took another breath. "Not only was my father killed, but our house was ransacked," he said. "Exactly fifteen thousand, one hundred and sixty-eight Bolts were stolen. All other money and valuable belongings were ignored."

"How come?" asked Ratchet.

"Cuz that's all my father owed."

"What about Dr. Heinous?" asked Al.

"I was getting to that…"

* * *

_Vince sat it the kitchen, doing his math homework. He found this subject very easy. It was like a game to him. He could do it subconsciously if he needed. He always remembered the methods for everything. There was never a time in Vince's math history that new information, coming in, pushed out the old. _

_After Vince had finished doing his homework and packing his backpack for the next day, he decided to watch the holovid. _

_Later, Mrs. Nefarious arrived home with a smile on her face._

"_Why are you smiling, Mommy?" asked Vince after switching off the holovid. _

"_Jeremiah finally proposed!" she said, stretching her right hand forward so that the boy could see the ring on her finger._

(Author's Note: We're talking about Jeremiah Heinous III; not Jeremiah Heinous IV. OKAY?)

"_Does this mean I'm going to have a new daddy?" asked Vince._

"_Yes. It does," Jen hugged her son._

"_This is great!" said Vince._

"_You even get a new brother," said Jen._

"_Huh?"_

_Vince broke the embrace._

"_Jeremiah," said Jen, "he has a son."_

"_What's his name?"_

"_Jeremiah."_

"_As well?"_

"_He's named after his father. Instead, people call him 'J.J'."_

"_Oh… Wait. If the Jeremiah has a son, doesn't he have a wife?"_

"_Well, no. Two years ago, she died of lung cancer."_

"_Oh," Vince tried to change the subject. "When will you get married?"_

"_Six months from now."_

"_When can I meat J.J?"_

"_The same. Six moths from now."_

"_Aww! But, Mum, what if I don't like him?"_

"_Don't be silly," Jen chuckled, "you'll like him."

* * *

_

"I didn't like him," said Nefarious. 

"Did he like you?" asked Jane.

"Hell no!" exclaimed Nefarious. "He always picked on me; he always copied my ideas, which is why he has a butler."

"Wait," he has a butler cuz you have one?" asked Ratchet.

"Yup. Heinous III was rich. I saved all my money so I could buy a robot butler. When Jeremy saw this, he wanted a butler too. But, because he wasted all his money on crap, all he could afford was a blarg butler."

"How did this sibling rivalry start?" asked Darla.

"Well, it was a weak after the wedding…"

* * *

_Vince was playing outside the mansion. _

_It had been a weak ago that he received a new father and he loved it. Jeremiah wasn't the greatest father, but he did what he could to make everyone happy. _

_The three-story mansion was huge. There were three swimming pools; two outdoor and one indoor. There was a ten acre front yard and a twenty-five acre back yard. Hundreds of robots where everywhere, doing their daily business. _

_Vince squatted down, stretching one hand, filled with nuts, forward to a squirrel. The animal was sniffing the boy's palm._

"_Come on, little guy," said Vince, "I'm not gonna hurt you."_

_The squirrel scooped all the nuts with its long tail and ran into a hole in a near-by tree._

_J.J was walking by, telling a robot to clean his room._

"_Remember," said J.J, "spotless with a capital 'S'. Got it?"_

_The robot nodded and hovered away._

"_Hey, J.J!" Vince called. "Wanna play?"_

"_Hey, Vince. No thanks. I'm busy," responded J.J._

"_Oh, come on, Jeremiah!"_

_J.J stopped. "What did you call me?"_

"_Um… 'Jeremiah'."_

"_I thought so."_

_J.J turned around and charged straight into the unsuspecting Vince. The nine-year-old rammed the seven-year-old into the tree and held him up high from his shoulders. _

"_Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That," J.J sneered._

_J.J let Vince drop and started walking away, leaving the scared boy to cry…

* * *

_

"How horrible!" said Jane. 

"And that's how it began," said Nefarious, "the rest is history."

The room was silent.

"Okay. I've told all of you about my childhood. Will you just let me go?"

"You mean you're not gonna team up with us?" asked Ed.

"Of course not!"

"Please, Dr. Nefarious," said Clank, "if you team up with us, you can get back at Dr. Heinous for all the trouble he caused you."

"Since when are you up for revenge?" asked Ratchet.

"I'm not, but I'm sure Dr. Nefarious is," Clank said to Ratchet. The robot turned to Nefarious, "Isn't that right?"

Nefarious smiled and said, "You bet your ass I do."

"So, will you join us?" asked Will.

"Well, I--wait a minute. What's in it for me and Lawrence? What will happen to us once kill Jeremy?"

"I believe that's my department," the president stepped forward. "Dr. Nefarious, if you help us defeat Dr. Heinous, you and Lawrence will be given full rights as robotic citizens of Solana. We are prepared to give you your own mansion in the outskirts of Metropolis."

"That sounds great," said Nefarious with a smile.

"But, if you refuse," the president went on, "you and Lawrence will be sent back to your asteroid prison."

"That sounds bad," said Nefarious with a sad frown.

"So, what's it gonna be? The decision is yours."

* * *

Another cliff-hanger. I swear; there things are just flying outta me. 

Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.


	20. Decision

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, there would have been another form of hover something racing in the third game.

Thanks, Gruntzilla and captain deoxys for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Decision**

Everyone was silent, awaiting Nefarious' decision. This was it, Nefarious could either change his evil ways or remain evil and go back to his asteroid prison. Darla held her microphone to Nefarious' head.

If Nefarious chose to go with the organics, he'd be good. And, if he managed to bring Dr. Heinous to justice, he'd be a respected hero. Not only that, but he'll be rewarded with a mansion. He could use his genius for good, he'll be respected. Maybe, he could even get a huge statue, built in his honour. Lawrence could finally join a rock band. Nefarious could even get that head problem fixed. The only flaw in this will be he would be going against everything he stood for a year ago.

If Nefarious didn't choose to go with the organics, not only will he be a villain, but he'll have to go back to his asteroid prison with Lawrence. Lawrence could teleport them onto the ship as it drifts away, but the organics could disable the teleporter or the two could get zapped again, only this time, forever. Ratchet and Clank would go after Heinous and be beaten. Solana will be ruled by Dr. Heinous and not Dr. Nefarious!

This was Nefarious' chance to not only be a good guy, but to get back at his stepbrother for all the nasty thing his stepbrother did to him.

While Nefarious struggled to make the decision, everyone else was deep in their own thought.

Ratchet: _'Come on. Say 'no' so me and Clank can be the heroes as always.'_

Captain Qwark: _'Come on. Say 'no' so Ratchet and Clank can be the heroes and I can take credit for all they do as always.'_

Sasha: _'As much as I hate to think this; join the organics.'_

Helga: _'Vot is taking so long? I've been silent all ziz time. Make you dezizion already!'_

Darla: _'I don't get paid enough to do this.'_

Cameraman: '_I don't get paid enough to do this.'_

Al: '_I know you'll do the right thing.'_

Clank: _'This is your chance, Nefarious. This is your chance.'_

Lawrence: _'I do hope he makes this decision quickly. These restraints might leave marks.'_

Skrunch: _'Will you say it already? Hey, I'm thinking English.'_

Ed: _'Do it. Come on,'_

Will: '_You better join us. That chip took ages to make.'_

Jane: _'C'mon, Nefarious. You' could get fame and fortune.'_

President: _'If Nefarious doesn't join us, Clank will save us.'_

Skidd_: 'How come Nefarious is taking so long? How come everyone's not talking? How come I'm hearing myself talk when my lips aren't moving?' _

Ranger 1: _'I gotta go to the bathroom.'_

Ranger 2: '_Well, hold it in!'_

Ranger 1: _'I can't! It--wait--How can you hear me?'_

Ranger 2: _'I… er… I dunno.'_

Ranger 3: _'Wait a second. Robots don't go to the bathroom.'_

The silence was broken by Nefarious. He said, "I have made my decision."

"Well?" asked Ed.

"I'll do it," said Nefarious, "I'll join the organics to defeat Jeremy. But, only cuz I hate him."

Everyone, except Ratchet and Qwark, started cheering.

"Not so fast!" said the president, stopping the cheers. The president approached Nefarious. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a glowing watch.

"What's that, Mr. President?" asked Darla, holding the microphone to the president's face.

"This," the president began, "is Gadgetron's new Lie Detector. Not only does it tell if someone's lying, but it also tells the time on any planet in the galaxy."

The president held the gadget to Nefarious' mouth.

"Dr. Nefarious," the president began, "you've chosen to join us, correct?"

"Yeah," Nefarious said.

The Lie Detector flashed green.

"Do you plan to double-cross?"

"No."

The Lie Detector flashed red.

Some people gasped, others smiled.

"Okay okay," said Nefarious, "I was planning to betray you guys AFTER I defeat Jeremy. It's the truth."

The Lie Detector flashed green.

"Okay, Nefarious," said the president, "the moment Dr. Heinous is defeated, you and Lawrence go back to your little asteroid. Okay?"

Nefarious thought for a moment, but then said, "Okay. Fine. At least, I'll feel a lot better about myself."

"What if you change your mind?" asked the president.

"I won't."

The Lie Detector flashed white. That meant neither True nor False.

"It's settled then. You're _temporarily_ one of us."

"Remember. I'm doing this for ME, not for you squishies."

"Fine."

"Release them," said Sasha to a ranger.

The ranger pulled out a remote with only one button and pressed it.

The restraints disappeared and Nefarious and Lawrence were free.

Some people began to leave the room.

"Ratchet. Qwark," said Sasha, "give Nefarious and Lawrence a tour of the Phoenix."

"WHAT?" Ratchet and Qwark exclaimed in unison.

Sasha shot them a deadly glare.

"Oh, alright," Ratchet and Qwark said at the same time.

Sasha, Ratchet, Qwark, Nefarious and Lawrence left the room.

"So there you have it," Darla said into the camera, "Dr. Nefarious has decided to join the organics to defeat Dr. Heinous. But, after Dr. Heinous is defeated, Nefarious will become evil again. He and Lawrence will return to their asteroid prison. Perhaps, Nefarious will--"

* * *

"_--change_ _his mind. Who knows? We'll bring you more soon. Darla Gratch, Channel 64 News."_

Albert switched off the holovid.

The butler was sitting in his room with a new holovid which was found in the abandoned city. The robo roosters helped Albert put all his stuff in his room.

The thirty constructobots were doing their jobs, also awaiting Heinous' return.

"Oh dear," said Albert to himself, "Heinous isn't gonna like this."

* * *

The next chapter will focus on Heinous' attempt to steal the tools. I promise a good fight scene. However, the next chapter will take a while to update, cuz it's gonna be a long one. 

Please review but don't flame.


	21. Raxamis Part 1

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, ammo for every weapon could be found in boxes.

Thanks, SLYFOXX, captain deoxys, Sarge11 and Gruntzilla for reviewing.

I dedicate this chapter to SLYFOXX for that great idea. I've made a few small changes to it, though.

* * *

**Chapter** **Twenty-one: Raxamis, Part 1**

"Your powers are impressive."

"Thanks, but those robots were easy to get by."

"That's true, Mr…er--"

"Heinous. Dr. Heinous."

"Ah. You're the one I've heard so much about."

"Ha! Didn't know I was a celebrity. Do you have a name?"

"They call me Shield."

"Nice to meat you, Shield."

Heinous stood in a big, empty, square shaped room. Right now, he was speaking with a robot guard. Behind Heinous, laid a broken door and in the room before this, was a hallway, flooded with robot parts.

Shield was slightly taller than any of the identical troopers. There were two long blades, attached to his back. Also on his back, was a holster. Whatever the weapon, stashed in the holster, was unknown to Heinous. Shield was covered in platinum armour. On his chest, was a picture of a Jolly Roger, but it was of a trooper head and cross blades picture instead of a skull and crossbones. He had the face of a typical trooper; a V-shaped eye and no mouth or nose.

"Who are you, exactly?" asked Heinous.

"I'm the most powerful guard in this base," said Shield. "My job is to stand in the middle of this room ten hours a day and make sure no one reaches that room," he pointed behind him with his right thumb.

"What's in that room?"

"Very special tools."

"What a coincidence. I came here to collect these tools."

"What for?"

"If you let me through, you'll find out in a while."

"Okay," Shield stepped aside and held out a hand to the room of tools, "they're all yours."

"Thanks."

Heinous walked past the guard.

He was about to reach the door when a long, sharp blade, about the size of Chainblade's blade, landed right in front of him and made a small crack in the metal floor. The blade resembled the sword in the stone. Heinous screamed in surprise and fell on his butt.

"Oh, silly me," said Shield as he walked to his weapon. "Did I forget to mention that I'm programmed to terminate all who enter this room without clearance?" he walked past Heinous who was still on the ground.

"No," said Heinous as he got to his feet.

"Well then. I'm programmed to terminate all who enter this room without clearance." Shield pulled his blade out of the ground and stood in front of the door to the room of tools.

The hole where a door used to be was replaced by another door out of nowhere.

"Oh, come on," said Heinous, "you must let me through. I'm trying to make the galaxy a better place for robots by destroying all organic life-forms."

"Is that why you need these tools?"

"Yup."

"As much as I hate organics, I can't go against my programming," Shield said as he pointed his blade's point to Heinous' forehead.

"Okay then," Heinous smiled, "it's your funeral."

Shield unsheathed his other blade.

Heinous narrowed his eyes.

Both got into fighting stances.

Shield let out a war cry and charged at Heinous. The scientist merely stepped to his left and stuck out his right leg, causing Shield to trip.

Heinous jumped back a few feet and unleashed his tiny, yellow blasts from his hands. Shield spun his blade and deflected every blast. He charged towards Heinous again. Heinous turned around to face the wall. He ran to the wall. Shield was still charging. Heinous ran up the wall and did a back flip. He landed behind Shield. The scientist grabbed Shield from his shoulders, spun around and threw the guard.

The guard landed on his front and skidded to the middle of the room.

Heinous charged his power up and unleashed his yellow blast from his chest. Shield barely jumped out of the way. He landed on his hands and did a role.

Shield stood up.

Heinous was ready.

Shield held out the blade in his right hand. The tip began to charge bright blue. A small ball of energy was 'expelled' from the blade's tip at Heinous.

Heinous thought he could deflect it with a single swipe. He was dead wrong. Before the ball could come in contact with Heinous, it exploded. The scientist was flung into the wall. He then fell down on his front. There was a hole in the shape of Heinous' outline in the wall.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Heinous bellowed.

The scientist stood up.

"Oh, am I?" Shield remarked.

Heinous sprinted towards Shield. The guard began firing more blasts from his sword. Heinous sprouted his wings and took to the air. He dodged the blasts will ease. He reached behind him, formed a green ball of energy and dropped it. The ball landed behind Shield and exploded. The shockwave sent Shield falling backwards.

Heinous was right above Shield. The robotic wings contracted and the scientist was falling, his hands shooting yellow blasts. Shield spun his blades to deflect them, but Heinous was getting closer.

The scientist landed on one of Shield's spinning blades. Because of the sudden weight, Shield stopped spinning. The guard grabbed Heinous' ankles with one hand and flung the robot to the right.

Before Heinous hit the wall, he shot a small disk from his mouth. The disk his on of the blades and broke it in two.

Shield got up and starred at his broken blade. Heinous, getting up from his second crater in the wall, smirked.

Shield growled and flung the broken weapon at Heinous. Heinous just ducked and the weapon hit the wall.

Shield still had his other blade. He began firing at the scientist.

Heinous shot another yellow blast at the guard. The blast hit the guard in the chest, causing him to fall on his butt yet again. This is what Heinous needed.

The scientist crouched and put his left hand on the floor. His other hand clenched into a fist. He punched the ground and pushed his fist inwards. Blue and yellow sparks ran down Heinous' right arm into the ground. He kept his fist under the floor. A few feet away, a large, bright blue ball of energy, with yellow sparks emerged from the floor.

The ball started bouncing towards the recovering guard. The guard was struck by the attack and flung into the wall. He stuck to the wall for a few seconds before falling down. There was a crater where he struck the wall.

Heinous smiled and said, "Now you know how it feels."

Shield stood up, screamed and ran at Heinous. The guard was loosing his cool.

Shield swiped his blade horizontally. Heinous ducked.

Shield tried a punch. Heinous grabbed the fist, turned the guard around and kicked him in the rear. The guard stumbled forwards.

Shield growled, spun around and threw his blade at Heinous.

Heinous wasn't ready. The blade hit his right hand and sent him to the wall in shear force.

Luckily, there where no craters.

Heinous looked to his right. The blade had impaled his hand and stuck itself into the titanium wall. Although he didn't feel any pain, Heinous was stuck. The scientist's yellow eyes widened when he saw Shield running towards him.

Heinous tried to pry the blade loose from his hand. He knew fixing his hand wouldn't be a hard task.

The scientist was knocked out from his thinking when Shield slammed his fist into Heinous' face.

Shield punched again and again and again and again and again…

Heinous had enough. He grabbed Shield's incoming, left fist with his left hand and squeezed hard. Sparks emerged from the hand before it broke into several pieces.

Shield gasped.

"Now, we're even," said Heinous, gesturing to his impaled hand by cocking his head to the right.

Shield growled and aimed his right fist at Heinous. The scientist, grabbed the fist with his feet, pushed it away and uppercut Shield in the chin with his left fist.

Shield went flying, hit the ceiling and fell to the cold ground.

Heinous gathered all his strength and pulled the blade out from his hand and dropped the weapon. He examined his hand. There was a small slit in the palm and the middle finger was missing.

Not a problem; he could easily fix it.

Heinous walked up to the blade and picked it up with his good hand. He then slammed the weapon on his head, shattering it.

Shield got to his feet. He looked at his opponent. Heinous twirled a piece of the broken blade.

"Looks like you have no more attacks other than those lame blade swipes," said Heinous with his arms crossed, "I thought you'd be more of a challenge. I guess I'm more powerful than I thought and this body isn't even a month old. I'm just discovering my new powers. I haven't even used all of them."

"I'm not done yet!" exclaimed Shield.

Shield flew to the middle of the room, propelled by jets on his feet. The guard reached into the holster, tied to his back, and pulled out a R.Y.N.O II.

Heinous' eyes widened.

"I hope your favorite colour's blue!" Shield yelled.

"Actually, my favorite colour's orange," muttered Heinous.

Shield held his finger on the trigger and let loose a wave of blue bullets. The bullets spiraled towards the scientist.

Heinous' reflexes kicked in.

The scientist ducked, arched forward, arched backwards, arched left, arched right, flipped left, flipped right, flipped back, flipped forward, rolled, jumped, crawled, kart wheeled, leaped, jogged, deflected, spun, ran, blocked, tumbled and tap-danced to avoid the onslaught of the R.Y.N.O II's bullets.

Heinous jumped up and his wings came out from his back. Shield kept firing.

'_Just a little longer,'_ thought Heinous, _'you'll be running outta ammo soon.'_

Heinous unleashed his yellow beam from his chest. Shield dove out of the way.

Heinous shot multiple disks from his mouth. Shield zigzagged out of the way.

Heinous soared towards Shield. The guard panicked and shot two bullets. Heinous dodged one but he the other one hit his left wing.

"Crap," Heinous mumbled.

The scientist fell to the ground and skidded towards Shield. When he stopped skidding, he was only a few inches away from the guard.

Shield held the R.Y.N.O II to Heinous' head.

"Like I said," Shield began, "'I'm programmed to terminate all who enter this room without clearance'."

Heinous closed his eyes.

Shield pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

"Huh?" Shield looked at the gun. He pointed it at Heinous and pulled the trigger several times like a madman.

He was out of ammo.

"Oh fu--" Shield started but was cut off when Heinous punched him in the chin.

Before the guard could be sent flying from the blow, Heinous grabbed his leg. The scientist spun the guard over his head until the joints gave way and Shield flew into the crater he made earlier, only this time with only one leg.

Heinous looked at his hand to see that he was holding a leg.

"Cool," he said and tossed the leg aside.

Shield got up and stood on one leg. He was still holding the R.Y.N.O II. He threw the ammoless weapon at Heinous. Heinous effortlessly caught the weapon and chucked it back at Shield.

The weapon struck Shield's other leg and broke it off. The guard fell down. He saw Heinous marching to him. Shield started to crawl away as fast as his arms could pull him.

Heinous caught up and planted a foot on Shield's back. With his working hand, he pulled Shield's arms off and tossed them aside. He flipped Shield over, reached down and pulled the guard's head off.

He held the severed, but still working, head above his own, charged his power up and blasted the body to pieces with his chest laser.

He then dropped the head to the floor.

"Please don't," Shield begged.

Heinous raised his foot.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Heinous stopped. He knelt down and said, "Ya know what? I'll let you go, cuz I want you to see me when I destroy all the squishies in the galaxy."

Heinous stood up and walked towards the door to the room of tools, away from the head.

"You can't just leave me here like this!" Shield yelled after Heinous.

Heinous kept walking but said, "True. But I hear the robot guard is checked once a week."

"I was checked yesterday!"

"Then you have a long week ahead of you," Heinous chuckled.

The scientist went to where Shield's blade struck his hand. He looked at the floor, searching for something. His narrowed eyes scanned the hard steel. Then he spotted it.

"Ah there it is," he said and picked his middle finger up.

Heinous approached the door. There was a number pad on the right. The robot scratched his chin. He turned around to face the head.

"What's the code?" Heinous asked.

"Eight, eight, one, five, one, four, one, eight, one, nine, nine, one," Shield said.

Heinous punched in the numbers and the door slid open.

"Lotta ones," Heinous joked with a smirk.

Shield grumbled to himself.

Heinous entered and stared at the items stored in the room.

"It's beautiful…" he fluttery breathed with his hands cupped together as if he was going to pray.

There where several tools lined up neatly on a tall and wide case of shelves. Up to fifty tools. Heinous didn't even know what some of them were for. He didn't care, because he was going to take every single one of them. The extras might come in useful. But how would he take them?

Heinous was so overconfident about this, that he didn't even formulate a plan. The robo roosters where on Planet Horax, helping Albert with his stuff. And the troopers were guarding the ship. Sandy was too short to fly the cargo ship.

Heinous looked around for something that could help in transportation.

His yellow eyes stopped on a red hover vehicle. This vehicle looked like a scooter except the part where the driver was supposed to stand on was longer and wider. Up front, there were two levers, a pedal and a keyboard with several buttons, supported by a metal pole in between the levers. This would do.

He loaded every tool onto the vehicle. He pressed the button and the vehicle rose.

"Hmm," Heinous wondered to himself, "I wonder what this button does."

He pressed the button. Suddenly, small compartments in the hover vehicle's sides opened. Hundreds of roped came out from the right side, went over the tools and wedged themselves in the holes on the left side. The tools were secure.

Heinous was about to steer this hover vehicle, when he remembered he was still missing a finger.

He reached behind him and pulled out some random tool that resembled a ray gun. With his left hand, he held the apparatus, pressed its only button and aimed at his damaged right hand. A green ray was emitted from the gadget and the slit was gone.

He then jumped off the vehicle, put his right hand on the floor with the palm facing upwards, placed his finger near its socket, picked up the ray gun-like with his left hand, aimed and pushed the button. The same green ray was produced and the middle finger was in place.

He then extended his left wind and fixed the hole.

Heinous smiled and jumped back on the vehicle.

He steered the vehicle to face the shelves. The robot charged his chest up and shot his yellow beam at the shelves.

The beam crashed through the shelves and through the wall, leaving a gapping hole. Heinous pressed his foot on the acceleration and the vehicle hovered forward at full speed, out of the base, and into the open air over the ocean.

Heinous turned the vehicle around and drove towards the island where his ship was parked. The carrier flew at respectable speed over the water. The tools hadn't fallen out.

It was going to be a ten minute ride. If Heinous still had his nose, he'd inhale the salt air.

The wind kicked at his antennas.

Suddenly, an alarm went off and a large door, facing the sea opened. Ten robots flew out, arm guns loaded.

(Author's Note: These robots are those bigass robots with no legs. The hover and shoot from their hands. Ratchet and Clank first encountered them on Planet Daxx)

"RRRRUGH!" Heinous growled. "How many damn robots does this base have?"

The scientist slammed his foot on the acceleration. The transporter picked up speed. So did the robots.

One robot fired and hit the back of the vehicle.

Heinous pressed another button and a shield formed over the tools, protecting them.

However, Heinous was still open for attacks.

All the robots began firing at the vehicle. The shield remained up.

One robot appeared on the vehicle's left and another on the right.

Heinous let go off the levers and held his arms out in a crucifix position and fired his yellow hell.

The bullets hit the robots and they fell into the ocean, destroyed.

"Two down and eight to go," Heinous said with a smirk.

He saw a button that said 'AUTO-PILOT'. He knew where the ship was. He could see the island from where he flew to the base. He aimed the ship straight at the island and pressed the 'AUTO-PILOT' button.

The scientist let go off the controls, turned around and literally jumped onto the shield. Although the shield was dome shaped, Heinous kept his balance.

The eight pursuing robots zeroed in on the scientist.

Heinous held his arms out and fired his yellow bullets. He managed to struck another two robots, sending them crashing into the cold waters.

The remaining six fired. Heinous had nowhere to run and if he flew, he'd lose the vehicle and the tools. He started firing his yellow bullets at the oncoming blasts, but it wasn't enough. He shot three disks from his mouth. Each disk met its target.

"And then there where three," Heinous said.

Suddenly, he stopped firing his yellow bullets and let the pound him. He began powering up.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"_** Heinous yelled loudly.

His arms spread and his head arched back as he unleashed a powerful wave of pure, red energy on the robots. The robots were the robots destroyed, but the entire base also perished along with them. Millions of debris fell everywhere.

This attack had good range.

Heinous panted. That attack had cost him a lot of energy.

(Author's Note: Hey, if Nefarious could cough like a madman in Metropolis, then Heinous can pant)

"Woops," he said. The attack hadn't cost him his sense of humor.

He jumped off the shield and landed in front of the controls. He switched off the auto-pilot and guided the ship the vehicle to its island destination.

* * *

"… and this is the food court, where delicious foods are served to the hardworking people of the Phoenix," Qwark said. "Like me." 

Ratchet rolled his eyes.

Nefarious was silent throughout the entire tour Ratchet and Qwark were giving him and Lawrence.

"Ya know," Nefarious began, suddenly, "you don't have to tell about this place, cuz I don't eat."

"Well, it's good to know where everything is," Ratchet said, "encase you need us and--"

"I won't need you," Nefarious spat.

Lawrence winced.

"Moving along..." Qwark said.

The group walked into Ratchet's quarters.

"And this," Qwark said, "is where Ratchet has played all my vid-comics, teaching him about all my adventures. The makers even added you as a boss in the forth game, Nefarious."

Nefarious looked at Qwark, "They did?"

"Yessery. But, like all my amazing adventures, Ratchet managed to beat you and the other vid-comics." Qwark flexed his muscles.

"Including 'The shaming of the Q'," Ratchet added with a smirk.

Qwark stopped flexing.

"Not that I want to, but…" Nefarious said, "but… could I play the vid-comic which features me as a boss?"

"Sure," Ratchet said. "Do you know how to play?"

Nefarious smiled sand said, "Of course. I may be an evil genius, but I have to something in my free time."

Ratchet nodded and went to his stash of vid-games and pulled out 'Deja 'Q' all over again'.

Ratchet was about to put the vid-comic in the VG9000, when Qwark said, "Not so fast!" He waved a finger.

Ratchet looked up and said, "What?"

"If Nefarious is gonna play my adventures, then he'll play all of them in order."

"But--"

"But nothing. Get 'Booty is in the eye of the beholder'."

Ratchet grumbled to himself and did as he was told. He wasn't in the arguing mood.

He put the vid-comic in the VG9000.

Everyone sat down on the couch; Nefarious in the middle, Lawrence on the right edge, Qwark on Nefarious' right and Ratchet on Nefarious' left.

Nefarious grabbed the joystick.

_Qwark's grinning face flashed on screen. Qwark's logo appeared. The music started. The professor's voice spoke. _

_Professor's voice: "These are the real adventures of Captain Qwark…"

* * *

_

"… and then, I broke his hand into several pieces," Heinous told Sandy. 

Somehow, the sand shark understood and howled in awe.

"Yeah, you should have been there."

Sandy faced the ship's front window and started growling.

"What is it, girl?" Heinous asked.

Sandy stood on her right foot and pointed her left foot towards the window. Heinous looked out.

There seemed to be something, floating in space.

Heinous pressed his face against the glass and narrowed his eyes.

"What is that thing?"

The 'thing' came into closer view. It was shiny. As it came closer, it looked as if it had arms, legs and a head.

Heinous brought the ship to a stop. He pressed a button and a robotic arm with a claw came out from under the cockpit. Heinous took control of a joystick and made the hand move forward. When the claw was almost touching the object, Heinous pressed a button and the claws grabbed it.

"Gotcha!" Heinous exclaimed.

Heinous guided the claw back to the ship.

"_Unknown object acquired,"_ came an artificial voice.

Heinous pressed another button.

"_Please wait,"_ the voice said.

Sandy whimpered.

Heinous patted his pet. "Awww. Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen?"

Before Sandy could make another sand shark sound, the two chairs in the back of the room moved backwards and separated into corners. The floor slid open and suspended animation pod rose up. The claw, hanging from the pod's 'ceiling' carried the unknown object from its foot.

Heinous knelt down near the glass and rubbed his chin. He looked into the pod.

"I can't see it," Heinous thought aloud, "there seems to be some sort of material in the way."

Sandy barked a sand shark bark.

"Good idea," Heinous said to Sandy.

The scientist went back to the console and pressed another button. Two small, thin, robotic hands came out of a compartment in the pod's inner top. Heinous used a joystick to guide them through the pod. The hands neared the edge of the material. Heinous squeezed the joystick, causing the hands to grab the material. He robotic hands pulled the material up. Heinous smiled.

"Now let's see what you look l--" Heinous gasped.

* * *

_Qwark's voice: "What? Blackwater City's under attack? Yes, sir, I'm on my way!"_

_Professor's voice: The excitement continues, (cough) yeah (cough) right. Ahem. The adventure continues in Qwark Vid-comic Episode Two."_

Nefarious switched off the VG9000. He had just played through 'Booty is in the eye of the beholder'.

"Man, Nefarious," said Ratchet, "you're good."

"Next game, sir?" asked Lawrence.

"What? Oh! Yeah," Nefarious said.

Ratchet put the vid-comic in the game console.

"Hard to believe you got through there so quickly," Ratchet said.

"I'll tell you how after I beat all of these Qwark vid-comics," said Nefarious, his hands on the joystick.

_Qwark's grinning face flashed on screen. Qwark's logo appeared. The music started. The professor's voice spoke. _

_Professor's voice: "Qwark Vid-comic Episode Two 'Arriba Amoeba'. A horrible evil was gathering in the depths of Blackwater City. A horrible evil, known as 'Amoeboids'. Born in the labs of a twisted scientist, named 'Dr. Nefarious'"…

* * *

_

Heinous stood in front of the base, outside his cargo ship, carrying Sandy under his arm. Four troopers were carrying the detached pod. The stolen tools rested on the hover vehicle outside. Heinous had just called Albert the same way as last time. He had also sent a radio signal to the robo roosters to accompany Albert. 

The Big Room's doors opened and Albert, followed by robo roosters, ran out.

When the butler reached Heinous, he said, "You yelled, sir?"

"Have the constructobots I sent finished what I told them to?" Heinous asked Albert.

"The fifteen you sent to make or find those magnifying glasses couldn't find any, so they started making them. They were on their last one last time I checked."

"And the crane and pod?"

"The crane is finished, but the pod isn't."

"Okay," he pointed at the robo roosters with his free hand and said, "Take that pod," he pointed at the pod which the troopers were carrying, "to the lab in the twenty-seventh floor and put the object inside the pod on one of the tables and wait there."

The robo roosters nodded and took the pod out of the troopers' hands and marched towards the base.

"Again with the pods," Albert complained. "Sir! What's in that pod? And, why did you ask the constructobots to build you another one?" Albert crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Heinous put a claw on the blarg's shoulder and said, "I can't tell you why I ordered the constructobots to build a pod. But, I can tell you what's in the other pod. Come." Heinous started walking to the base, followed by Albert, when he said without turning around, "Troopers, take the tools and stolen vehicle to The Big Room. Once that's done, guard the ship."

The two walked to the base.

* * *

_Qwark's voice: What? I held my breath."_

"Well done, Nefarious," said Ratchet.

"Thanks, Ratchet. And thanks for that cheat code to unlock Qwark's special costumes," said Nefarious.

Qwark cursed under his breath.

"Okay, get me the next came," said Nefarious, the joystick in his hands.

Ratchet got the next game. Before he put the vid-comic on the VG9000, he said to Nefarious, "Who knew you were so good at videogames?"

"Guy's gotta have fun, you know."

Ratchet put the vid-comic in the VG9000.

_Qwark's grinning face flashed on screen. Qwark's logo appeared. The music started. The professor's voice spoke. _

_Professor's voice: Qwark Vid-comic Episode Three 'Shadow of the robot'. For six days, Captain Qwark…"

* * *

_

Heinous and Albert walked down the hall in on the twenty-seventh floor. 

"… and if he beats you, he and Lawrence will go back to the asteroid."

"Uh huh."

"'Uh huh'? Sir, didn't you listen? Your stepbrother is back and he has teamed up with the organics to beat us."

"I heard every word, Albert."

The three turned right.

"Well? Aren't you astonished? Or irate? Your brother--"

"Stepbrother!" Heinous help a finger up.

"Right. Your stepbrother survived the explosion, sir! Aren't you the least bit annoyed?"

They turned left.

"Nope. In actual fact, this is a good thing, Albert."

"Come again?"

"Think about it, Albert. I'll be able to beat him again. Humiliate him again. Throughout our childhood together, I always tormented him. This will be another chance to prove that I'm the better brother."

"Don't you mean 'stepbrother', sir?"

"Whatever. Anywho, Vince is a loser. He has always been a loser. He will always BE a loser. This will just be another chance to rub it in his face again."

"You can be quite sadistic at times, sir."

"I try."

The three came up to a steel door. The door slid to the right and Heinous and Albert walked into the lab.

The lab was a cross between a lab and a hospital room. Blue walls, floor and ceiling. This room was very long. There were five tables lined up in a row. One computer with a big keyboard. A few desks. And, lastly, an empty--but soon to be filled with stolen tools--closet.

The ten robo roosters stood in a line, awaiting orders.

The pod lay horizontally on the table, the object still inside.

Heinous sat Sandy down and said, "Stay."

Heinous then walked up to the pod. He grabbed one side with one hand while the other hand held the pod steady. With all his might, Heinous turned one part clockwise like a childproof cap. The 'cap' came off and was set down on another table. Heinous reached both hands in, grabbed the object and started pulling it out.

Albert, who had been watching silently, said, "Sir? Are you sure that's ethical?"

"Let's hope that this thing doesn't know what 'ethical' means," replied Heinous, who had already pulled out one half.

Heinous placed the multicoloured object on a separate table.

"Robo roosters," said Heinous, "Put the pod in my cargo ship's cockpit. Then send five constructobots here. Lastly, go to my room and wait."

The robots nodded. Some picked up the pod, others picked up the lid. Heinous, Albert and the object were alone.

Heinous took some items from the object and put them in the closet. Albert looked at the object. Heinous also looked.

The object was none other than a robot. The shocking part was that it looked like Dr. Nefarious. There were a few differences, though. Those differences being that it was one foot shorter than Nefarious and Heinous, who were both the same height. The torso was metallic green. There was an emerald green colour from the shoulders, to the tips of the fingers. The hips downwards were grayish blue. The bottom part of the head was grayish blue like the hips downwards. The neck was also grayish blue. The top of the head--that being the pointy part--was dark mauve. The insides couldn't be seen. The pointy, purple part of the head had a big, green 'R' in its centre. There was a twelve inch, vertical crystal that had a bright azure colour. The eyes were closed.

"So… What should we call it?" asked Albert.

"It has to begin with the letter 'R'."

"How about 'Rover'?"

Heinous gave Albert a confused look.

"'Robert'?"

"No."

"'Randy'?"

"Nope."

"'Rex'?"

"Uh uh."

"I give up, sir."

Just then, five constructobots entered the room.

Heinous noticed this and said to the robots, "Ah, you're here. I'll be leaving, so don't do anything."

"Sir, what did you put in the closet?" asked Albert.

"I put a purple cape and a utility belt."

"A cape and a utility belt? Maybe this robot is a superhero."

Heinous gave Albert another confused look.

"Never mind."

Heinous left the table and made for the door.

"I haven't officially settled in. Come help me with my room, Albert."

Albert left the table. Heinous picked up Sandy and the three left. The only ones there were the constructobots and the robot.

Silence. Not even the constructobots moved. The computer was off and didn't make that humming sound computers make when they're all on.

Suddenly, the robot's eyes opened, giving off an orange colour. The robot turned its head, looked in the direction where Heinous and Albert left……… and blinked.


	22. Raxamis Part 2

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, Ratchet would have used his O2 Mask much more often in the second and third games.

Thanks, SLYFOXX and Gruntzilla, for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-two: Raxamis, Part 2**

Heinous wiped some imaginary sweat from his forehead. He, Albert and the ten robo roosters had just finished with his room.

"Done," said Heinous, looking at the handiwork.

From the entrance's point of view, there was a small one-person bed against the wall on the right. The foot of the bed faced forward. On the left, there was a bookcase and a case for extra bottles and beakers. At the foot of the bed, there was a cupboard, filled with some gadgetry. In front of the door, there was brown desk with a computer, monitor and other various input and output devices. Behind the desk, stood a swivel chair. Besides the bed, there was a small basket for Sandy. Dr. Heinous' room.

"Sir. Two things. One: why do you need a bed?" asked Albert.

Heinous smirked. "Although I'm against squishies, some 'squishiness' still lingers inside me. What's the other thing?"

"What about her?" Albert said while pointing at Courtney's body in the middle of the room.

Heinous thought aloud. "I could take her to the lab/hospital room."

"But, sir, what if that robot wakes up and kills her or something?"

"Are you beginning to care?" Heinous asked with a small smirk.

Albert frowned at this.

"Just because I can feel, sir, that doesn't mean I'm in love with some stereotype pop singer!" he defended.

"Good. Now back to the subject at hand," Heinous went on and looked away, "robo rooster," he pointed at one of the ten other robots, "place that robot on my bed. I will tend to her later."

The robot did as it was told.

Heinous turned to Albert, "Let's go get some of the tools I stole and try to repair that robot," he faced the other robots, "as for you, make yourselfers scarce until I need you later on."

The robo rooters were gone.

"C'mon, Albert," said Heinous, "we need to fix that robot. And don't worry about Sandy, she's asleep."

Albert looked at the basket. It was true; Sandy was curled in a small, iron ball. A single wire was attached to her head. The other end of the wire went under the bed. Sandy was recharging.

Albert remembered what Heinous just said and replied, "I don't think I'll worry that much, sir."

The butler left the room.

* * *

_Professor's voice: "--… Hmm. Seems the script's missing a few pages."_

_Qwark's voice: "Er--Thanks, Professor, I'll take it from here. And so ends this amazing adventure; the true story of how Captain Qwark defeated the sinister nefarious that is--er--Well, Dr. Nefarious." _

_The screen goes blank._

Nefarious stared at the screen, not saying a word.

"Sir," Lawrence started, "are you alright--?"

"**_IS THAT--?"_**

"_Oh, Lance, it's not right." _

"_Why not, Janice?" _

"_Because--"_

SLAP!

"_**--ALL? I'M MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN THAT!"**_

Nefarious lowered his fists, panting. Qwark snickered.

Suddenly, Nefarious got up looked Qwark straight in the eye and grabbed the green one's shoulders.

"Come on, Qwark! I was much stronger than that!"

"Well…er…"

Ratchet got up from his spot and put his hand on Nefarious' shoulder.

"Ease up, Nefarious. It's just a game," Ratchet said, "it doesn't matter if it's wrong."

Nefarious let go of Qwark and said, "Yeah, you're right. It's just a game."

"Okay then," Qwark stood up, "let's continue with the tour."

"Not so fast, Qwark," Ratchet grinningly pointed, halting Qwark in his tracks, "Nefarious hasn't played the fifth one yet.

Qwark sat down.

* * *

Heinous and Albert were walking down the hall of the twenty-seventh floor. They had been to The Big Room to get some tools so they could fix the mysterious robot. 

"Sir, why do I have to carry all the tools?" Albert asked. He was carrying all the tools Heinous wanted.

"Because, Albert, I need my hands free so I can scratch my chin and think," Heinous replied.

"You only need one hand, sir."

"Oh, no no no, Albert. I need one hand to scratch and another to support the one scratching."

Instead of saying 'you've got to be shitting me', Albert kept quiet.

Suddenly…

"You don't suppose this robot's dangerous, do you, Albert?"

"Hmm. It could be. It looks like Dr. Nefarious. There's no doubt that it was created by him."

"I don't know. It was coloured rather… um… how should I say this?"

"Uniquely?"

"Yeah, that's a more polite word other than what I was gonna say. I think it was created by some Dr. Nefarious wannabe"

"Probably."

"Hmm…"

"What do you suppose is in that utility belt?"

"I'm guessing utility stuff."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

The two reached the door. The door slid open. Heinous and Albert walked in. Heinous stopped moving, his eyes, which were usually semicircles at an angle, were now complete spheres. Albert looked over the heap of tools in his arms and became flabbergasted.

(Author's Note: To make a cliff-hanger or not to make a cliff-hanger? That is the question. Hmmm. Nah, I'll continue.)

"And then, Agent Clank deflects the lasers blasts from those ninjas with a plate and knocks them down. He then throws the plate at a lamp, which is hanging over Max Million. But nothing happens. 'Ha! You missed!' Max says, 'so much for the famous Secret Agent--OOF!' The lamp falls on him and he gets shocked!"

There sat the unknown robot, talking to a constructobot about a 'Secret Agent Clank' commercial. It was sitting on one of the tables. The eyes were now open, giving off an orange colour."

"Isn't that cool?" the robot asked.

The constructobot didn't respond.

"Pfft!" the robot waved the constructobot off, "you're no fun!"

It turned his head and noticed Heinous and Albert.

"Hi!" the robot waved.

"Um. Hi," Heinous waved back.

"You can talk?"

"Yeah."

"Can he talk?" the robot pointed at Albert.

"Yes," Albert spoke for Heinous.

The robot jumped off the table and walked up to Heinous and Albert.

"Hi, what's your name?" he held out a hand.

"Dr. Heinous," Heinous nervously shook the emerald hand.

"I like the antennas. Very retro."

"Er… Thanks."

"And you are…" the robot held out a hand to Albert.

The butler put the heap of tools down.

"Albert," Albert shook the robot's hand.

"Nice to meet ya, Dr. Heinous and Albert," the robot happily said.

"Do you have a name?" Albert asked.

"Sure," the robot jumped back a few feet. "I am the amazing Ra--Hey, where's my belt?" The robot felt its hips. "And where's my cape?"

"Oh, sorry," Heinous said and walked up to the closet and opened it, "I thought you were dangerous. So, I took them." He threw them to the robot.

The robot caught them and asked, "Even the cape?" He put the utility belt on a nearby table and put his cape on. He then picked up the belt and buckled it on his hips.

"It was getting in the way," Heinous retorted.

"Can I help it if my cape is sooooooooo cool?"

"Um…"

"You were saying your name," Albert said.

"Oh yeah!" the robot cleared his throat. "I am the amazing Raxamis!" Upon saying his name, he pulled something out of his utility belt and threw it on the floor. Pink and black smoke danced out. Raxamis put is hands on his hips and stood in a heroic pose. "And I hate squishies!"

Heinous blinked. "Did you say you hate squishies?"

"Uh huh. And I can easily destroy them with these," his hands turned into laser cannons. "And, my personal favorites," he went on, "THESE!" He pulled out two laser sword hilts from his belt and activated them. Blue energy emerged from the hilts. Raxamis spun them around a few times before deactivating them and returning them to his utility belt.

(Author's Note: To make things easies, picture laser swords like lightsabers, okay?)

"There's plenty more where those came from!"

"…," Heinous stared.

"…," Albert stared.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Raxamis smirked.

Heinous went up to the robot, a smile on his face. He said, "Well then, Raxamis, perhaps you could be of use to me."

"Really?" Raxamis' eyes lit up. He was like a child.

"Yup. But first, you need to tell me what you were doing, floating in space."

Raxamis' smile disappeared. "May I tell you that later?" he asked.

Heinous sighed and said, "Fine."

Raxamis smiled and said, "Good. But can you tell me something?"

Heinous put a hand on the robot's shoulder. "Child, I have a lot to tell you about. I have to tell you about what's going on. My plan. Out current status. Everything."

"Yeah, I know. But could you at least tell me if Dr. Nefarious is still trying to take over the galaxy?"

Heinous blinked and let go of the robot's shoulder.

"It's practically been a year since Dr. Nefarious failed to take over the galaxy."

"Oh," a beat, "is he dead?"

"I'll tell you everything soon. Firstly, tell us about yourself."

"Well, I have laser cannons and several laser swords. I was programmed to know a lot about holovid shows, music, comics, movies, events, actors and actresses. As well as be a fan."

"So, you're saying that you're a fanboy?" asked Albert.

Raxamis faced Albert and raised a green fist. "You have a problem with that, Jeeves?" he mocked.

The butler raised his hands in defense and said, "Not at all."

"And what are you a fan of most?" Heinous asked.

"Courtney Gears and Secret Agent Clank," Raxamis answered. The fanboy's orange eyes turned into stars as he girlishly cupped his hands together and sighed dreamily. "They're the greatest."

"Okaaaaaaay," Heinous took one step back.

"That must be why the smoke was pink and black," Albert said.

"Yeah. Those colours represent them."

Silence.

"Don't let my fanboyishness fool you, Dr. Heinous," Raxamis said, "I can definitely kick an ass or two."

"You do know, of course, that Agent Clank is merely a fictional character, played on the holovid," Heinous said.

"Yeah, I know," Raxamis stood normally, "it's just that--you know--it's such a damn good show."

"It's pleasant to know that there's another admirer out there who knows that Agent Clank doesn't really exist," Albert said.

"Tell me about it," a beat, "Wait. You're a fan of 'Secret Agent Clank'?"

"Yes."

"Ooooh! Remember that episode when--?"

"Ahem!" Heinous cut Raxamis off, "I hate to disturb the 'Hello-we're-obsessed-fanboys-who-live-in-our-mother's-basements' meeting, but I have to talk to Raxamis about what's going on."

Heinous walked to the door. He stopped and looked back, "And maybe we can see what you can do in the training room."

"We have a training room?" asked Albert.

"Yup; on the twenty-first floor."

"Coooooooool!" Raxamis exclaimed.

After telling the constructobots to get back to work after transporting the tools to The Big Room, Heinous motioned with his hand for Albert and Raxamis to follow him.

Raxamis walked out first. But, before Albert could leave the room, Heinous stopped him.

"Albert, go to my room, bring Courtney's body here and put her on a table."

"Why, sir?"

"Because if this fanboy sees her, he'll keep bugging me about fixing her."

"But, do you plan to fix her?"

"Yes, I do. But not now."

"Hey, Dr. Heinous," Raxamis called from down the hall, "you coming, or what?"

Heinous looked at Raxamis, "I'm coming, Raxamis. I'm just telling Albert to run a little errand for me."

"Kay."

"Now, do it, Albert."

"Right," Albert headed for the elevator.

Heinous and Raxamis headed the opposite way.

* * *

Okay, this isn't one of my best chapters, but please have fate in me. Y'all have no idea what I have in store for you. Chapter Twenty-four will make you want to read your asses off. 

Okay, SLYFOXX, I'm sorry if you don't like the way I made Raxamis, but his fighting power will make up for everything.

Anyways, please review and don't flame.


	23. Family reunion

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, there would have been two Giant Clank battles in the third game.

Thanks, SLYFOXX and Black Rosettes, for reviewing.

In this chapter, we'll find out a shocking fact about Raxamis.

Note: This chapter has gone through some editing. A reviewer pointed out a big mistake.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-three: Family reunion**

"Wow," Raxamis stared, "I can't believe I'm in the presence of Drek's deplanetizer."

"Yup. And I'm the one who stole it," Heinous added.

Heinous had been giving Raxamis the tour for half an hour. The scientist had explained everything to the new robot.

Raxamis was holding Sandy like a mother holds her child. He seemed quite fond of her. It took one Dr. Heinous and ten robo roosters to pry the sand shark loose from the robot's embrace after calling it 'cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute'.

At the moment, the two were in The Big Room. Several constructobots--some on foot and others in vehicles--moved along, working. The deplanetizer hung long and proud from the eighteen-story high ceiling, merely ten feet above the steel floor.

"What's that?" Raxamis pointed with his foot because he didn't want to let go of Sandy.

Heinous looked.

The robot pointed at something which looked like a boiler, but much bigger.

"That, Raxamis, will be where I'll store the source of power for that weapon I told you about," Heinous stated.

Raxamis looked at Heinous and said, "I can't believe one of our enemies is the robot who plays Agent Clank."

"Come now, Raxamis, if you destroy him, I'm sure he'll be replaced."

"By who?"

"I dunno," Heinous chuckled. "You shouldn't worry about that. Besides, you've spent a year, floating in space. You've practically missed two seasons."

"That won't stop me from writing my fanfic," Raxamis put on a serious face.

"You write fanfics?" Heinous' eyes widened. He held a thumb to his chest and said "I write fanfics!"

Raxamis smiled a crooked smile. "You do?" he asked.

"Uh huh. Right now, I'm writing a parody."

"About what?"

"Cartoon Crossovers. I'm doing an Empire Hearts parody."

"Ah jeez. Another one?" Raxamis' smile fell as he went on, "I swear that idea is soooooooooooo overused."

"What are you writing about?" Heinous put his hands on his hips.

"A Secret Agent Clank fic."

Heinous rolled his eyes.

"I'll get back to writing as soon as I can. Maybe, I can find a computer in that abandoned city."

"Yeah maybe." Heinous' eyes fell on that crystal in the middle of Raxamis' chest. "What's that thing?" Heinous extended a finger to touch it when--

"Don't touch that!" Raxamis grabbed Sandy by one leg with one hand so he could swat Heinous' hand away with the other.

Heinous recoiled. "What's wrong?"

"This is my source of power. It goes, I go."

"Sorry, but it should be hidden. You're vulnerable with it just hanging out like that. It's like a squishy with its heart hanging out."

"I can fix it."

"You're good with tools and fixing?" Heinous scratched his chin, "perhaps, you can help me build the weapon."

"Sir!" Albert came running, "I have good news!"

The butler stopped near the two.

"S'up, Jeeves?" Raxamis greeted.

Albert ignored him and said, "That chore you asked me to carry out is done, sir."

"Excellent," Heinous looked away from Raxamis for the moment.

"And I have more to tell you, sir…"

While the other two talked, Raxamis listened quietly. He had forgotten--however--that he was holding Sandy in an uncomfortable position. Sandy began shaking and growling.

"What is it, girl?" Raxamis looked down only to have Sandy escape from his hold, land safely on the floor and lunge at him.

The sand shark--literally--enveloped Raxamis' entire head in her mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Raxamis screamed and ran in circles, waving his arms around, "GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF! SHE'S GONNA EAT MY BRAINS!" he stopped, "Well, technically, I don't have brains, but…" he continued running, "IT'S STILL SCARY! AAAAAAAAAUGH!"

His screams were muffled by Sandy's body.

"The constructobots have finished the final magnifying glass, sir."

"Alright!" Heinous mischievously rubbed his hands together.

Meanwhile…

"AAAAAAAUGH! SHE'S GNAWING AT ME!"

Raxamis run rampant, screaming and bumping into things.

THUMP!

He bumped into a constructobot.

SLICE! SLICE!

Outstretched claws sliced the heads off of two constructobots as Raxamis ran between them.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Raxamis ran straight through eight parked vehicles, leaving holes which were shaped like his person.

"That pod you requested is complete, sir."

"Ha ha! Now I can begin."

"Begin what, sir?"

Heinous frowned. "I told you, Albert, it's a secret."

"I thought you grew out of keeping secrets, sir."

Heinous sighed. "Some things never change."

"Will you ever tell m--?"

CRASH!

Heinous and Albert looked in the direction of where the crashing sound came from.

Raxamis had crashed into a wall next to a shelf.

Raxamis lay on his back after spinning around on impact. He raised his head to rub it and sighed in relief when he actually felt it. Sandy was few feet away, doing nothing but standing there.

"What happened, Raxamis?" Heinous shouted.

Raxamis--still dizzy--got up and waved a goofy wave. "I'm okay--"

BONK!

A robot part--from the teetered shelf--fell on his head.

"I'm not okay…"

CLANG!

Raxamis fell on his front.

"Is he alright?" Heinous asked Albert.

Albert knelt down and inspected the robot. "He's unconscious, sir," Albert stated.

"Funny. I didn't know robots could fall unconscious," Heinous mused. He turned his attention to the sand shark. "Did you do this, Sandy?" he pointed to Raxamis.

Sandy slowly nodded her head.

"Bad, bad Sandy," Heinous waved a finger, "don't ever do something as hilarious and bad as that."

"Finally, sir, you witness that sand shark as it truly is: an undomesticated beast," Albert said.

"What? For your information, Albert, she doesn't know any better. Raxamis was holding her in an uncomfortable position!" Heinous retorted.

The scientist approached the butler, towering over him. "And I'd be happy if you never say that again." He looked back at Sandy and said, "Promise me you'll never do that again, Sandy."

Sandy barked a few times in response.

"Good girl," Heinous said with a smile.

"Oh, give me a brake," Albert palmed his forehead.

"Constructobots," Heinous called, "go to my cargo ship outside and empty it of my blue ship, will ya?"

The robots nodded and marched away.

"Albert, pick Raxamis up and follow me to my room," Heinous ordered, picking Sandy up.

Albert went to the unconscious robot and tried hoisting him up.

"He's… too… heavy… sir," Albert wheezed.

Heinous exhaled angrily and said, "Do I have to do everything myself?"

The scientist grabbed Raxamis and pulled him over his shoulder. With his other hand, he picked Sandy up.

"Follow me to my room, Albert."

* * *

"It makes you wonder who he really is, doesn't it?" Ratchet remarked. 

"I've dealt with the guy a few times and he never showed me or Lawrence his face," Nefarious said.

"You knew him?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah. He gave me some weapons for the tyhrranoids."

"I question how he became the narrator of the fifth Captain Qwark vid-comic," Lawrence mused.

"We may never find out who Slim Cognito is," Ratchet said.

"Will you please tell me who you're talking about?" Qwark asked.

"He's probably trying to cover up a big zit or something," Nefarious said.

Everyone stared.

"What?"

"I doubt Mr. Cognito covers himself up to perform what you tried to do in 9th Grade, sir," Lawrence remarked.

"Heheheheheheh. Yeah," Qwark agreed.

Nefarious angrily folded his arms in front of his chest.

Ratchet pulled a disgusted face. "I'm not even gonna ask."

* * *

"I believe he's coming to, sir" 

Raxamis slowly opened his eyes. "What happened…?"

"Well, after you crashed into a wall, you got hit over the head by a robot part," Heinous explained, "and now, you're here in my room to see one of my inventions."

Raxamis stood up. He saw Heinous, Albert and… Sandy. He took one step away from her.

"Aww, don't worry, Raxamis," Heinous patted him on the shoulder, "she's sorry."

Sandy nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I forgive her," Raxamis said.

"Okay then. Let's quit wasting time and do this thing," Heinous walked to the cupboard.

"Do what?" Raxamis cocked a robotic eyebrow.

"Tell him, Albert. I'm busy." In saying this Heinous began rummaging through the cupboard.

"We'll be transmitting holograms of ourselves onto the Starship Phoenix to--as Dr. Heinous says--'make fun' of the ones who are trying to stop us in our quest to eradicate all organic life forms in the galaxy," Albert explained.

"Why?" Raxamis asked.

"Because it's fun," Heinous said, his head pocking out from the cupboard.

"Won't Dr. Nefarious be there?" Raxamis seemed nervous.

"Uh… YEAH! That's the whole point, Raxamis," Heinous said. "What's wrong with you suddenly? You're not the happy comic relief guy Albert and I met thirty-four minutes ago."

"Nothing," Raxamis looked at the floor, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Is there something you want to tell us?"

"Damnit! I said nothing!" Raxamis made fists.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh," Heinous said as he re-entered the cupboard, "don't have a time of the month."

"Anyway," Raxamis calmed down a bit, "isn't there a member of the Starship people who can trace our signal here and screw us over?"

"Yes, sir, he has a point," Albert agreed.

"Found it!" Heinous emerged, holding a black 'cube'.

"Oh, sir, not that old thing," Albert droned.

"What old thing?" Raxamis asked.

"Will you stop your bitching?" Heinous said, "they won't be able to trace the signal, because I'll be installing a HistoryKill. With it, no one will be able to trace the signal. Ha!"

"That thing is a holographic projector. It is tremendously outdated."

"So? That doesn't stop it from being useful," Heinous defended, while standing in the middle of the room.

The scientist slid a piece of the up facing side the cube off to reveal a green button. After he pressed the button, Heinous shifted the cube around so another side of the cube was facing up. As screen, resembling that of a laptop, unfolded. In the space between the screen and the edge of the gadget, was a keyboard. This gadget looked like a laptop, wearing a platform shoe.

(Author's Note: Imagine something like that. It's not that difficult, really)

"Come, Sandy," Heinous called.

Sandy trotted over towards the scientist.

Albert and Raxamis watched, silent.

"Okay, Sandy, install HistoryKill," Heinous commanded as the sand shark stopped near him.

Sandy made a sand shark sound that almost sounded like 'Uh huh'. Her mouth and………… a wire with an orange pin at the end of it came out in a snake-like manner. The cord found its way to a slot on top of the screen's frame and entered it.

After thirty seconds, Sandy's wire left the slot and returned to the sand shark's mouth. The robot nodded its head at Heinous.

Heinous smiled, gave a thumbs up and said, "Nice one, Sandy. If you were still a squishy, I'd give you a treat."

"Whoa!" Raxamis practically jumped. "That was so--"

"Here we go," Albert droned.

"--COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

After shaking his head with a frown, Albert asked, "How did she do that? And--furthermore--how did you know she could do that?"

"I gave Sandy the ability to install programmes on any machine whatsoever," Heinous responded.

"When, exactly did you do this, sir?"

"On the way back from Planet Koros, after I stole the deplanetizer."

"Awesome, man!" Raxamis punched the air above him.

"Okay then, let's project ourselves onto the Starship Phoenix. Who knows? Maybe I'll discourage them so much; they won't me confident enough to go after me."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Raxamis seemed nervous again.

"If you really want my opinion, Raxamis, it's an immature idea," Heinous said while typing on the keyboard.

"That's Dr. Heinous for you. He's mature at one appoint and a kid at the other," Albert said.

"Hmm… What're you typing, Doctor?" Raxamis asked.

"The Starship Phoenix's coordinates. Then we'll have to wait a few minutes to patch ourselves all the way through to the Bridge."

"'The Bridge'?" Raxamis raised an eyebrow.

"It's sort of the ship's main room," Albert stated.

"Done!" Heinous stood up and stepped away from the gadget. He stood in the way if the device. Out of another compartment, a robotic arm emerged. On its tip was a flat object that resembled a coaster. Another arm emerged from another side. This arm held a screen. The screen grew bigger. The arm with the 'coaster' moved itself a few feet away from the gadget.

Heinous stood on the flat, white object and pulled Albert next to him. When Raxamis and Sandy were about to go near them, Heinous said, "Not yet. I want to make it look cool. We won't introduce ourselves all at once."

"You can't be serious, sir," Albert cackled.

"Let him," Raxamis defended. "It'll make is look like better bad guys."

"We're not the bad guys," Heinous glared, "the squishies are the bad guys."

"Sorry."

Silence.

More silence.

……………………

"How long will this take?" Raxamis asked.

"Just a few minutes," Heinous replied.

"It would take a few seconds if you bought a new one," Albert muttered.

Sandy yawned.

* * *

"Goodbye. It's a shame you can't stay here and help us track Heinous," Sasha waved. 

"We know. The president has put us on an important assignment on Planet Marcadia," Ed replied, getting onto a dropship.

In the Phoenix's hanger, Sasha was saying seeing off Ed, Will and Jane. The three were escorted into the dropship by two rangers.

"Go get Dr. Heinous!" Will exclaimed.

"Save the organics!" Jane said.

The dropship's door closed as the vessel hovered up. It turned around and left from the ship's main entrance.

Sasha was alone, save the four patrolling rangers. The captain decided to see how Ratchet, Qwark, Nefarious and Lawrence were. She assumed Ratchet's quarters were his favourite place, so there was were she'd go first.

When the entrance opened by itself, Sasha entered the room. What she saw bath shocked he and pleased her.

Instead of fighting, the lombax, green one and two robots were just talking.

"Glad to see you're getting along," Sasha smirked.

Everyone turned around to face her. When they remembered what Sasha said, Ratchet, Qwark and Nefarious frowned, crossed their arms and faces away from each other.

Sasha was about to say something--

"Yo, Captain," Skidd stumbled into the room.

"What is it, Skidd?" Sasha asked.

"Like--you'll not believe what just happened."

"I'm all ears."

"That Heinous dude's hologram is--like--in the Bridge."

"WHAT?" Nefarious jumped and ran right towards Skidd. "Jeremy? He's here?"

"No, man. Just a hologram. And--like--he wants to talk to you."

"Hmm! Probably wants to make fun of me just for the Hell of it."

"What are we waiting for?" Ratchet asked, "Let's go. It'll give you a chance to see what he looks like."

"What does he look like?" Qwark asked.

"Looks just like Nefarious, dude. But there are a few differences," Skidd asked.

"Well then. Let's go there! I have a few things I wanna say to Jeremy!" Nefarious yelled.

Everyone ran outside, up the stairs and into the transporter. When the pod reached its destination, all passengers ran to the doors which led to the Bridge.

First Ratchet, then Skidd, then Sasha, then Lawrence, then Qwark, then--

CLANG!

"OW!" Nefarious rubbed his head. "These doors are too low!"

Nefarious ran in.

"Hey, Clank," Ratchet greeted the small robot. "Where have you been?"

"I was merely discussing the plan to capture Dr. Heinous," Clank replied.

"Vot took you so long?" Helga fumed at the newcomers--Skidd most of all.

"Sorry," Skidd shrugged. "That transport thingy is wicked slow and--"

"Anyway," Al cut him off, "Heinous is here."

Nefarious clenched his fists.

"_It's about time you got here!" _Heinous' hologram fumed then smirked_, "you always were a slow one, Vince."_

The holographic figures of Dr. Heinous and Albert 'stood' above Sasha's chair.

Nefarious removed Qwark's chair and tossed it aside of more room. He stood at the end of the bridge. Next to him were Sasha, Helga, Skidd, Lawrence and Qwark. At the bottom, stood Al, Skrunch, Ratchet and Clank.

"Oh my God," Nefarious stared at Heinous' image.

Heinous seemed to notice. He grinned and said_, "Like it? These antennas help me to--"_

"_**YOU COPIED ME AGAIN! ISN'T THERE ONE OUNCE O--?"**_

"_Oh, Lance. What are we going to do?" _

"_I don't know, Janice. It's all too--"_

SLAP!

Before Lawrence could slap Nefarious, Sasha did it.

"_**--F ORIGINALITY IN YOU?"**_

Nefarious panted.

"_Clam down, Vince," _Heinous said._ "I just wanted to see you and the people who are so desperate; they resort to asking a loser like you for help."_

"I'm not a loser!"

"_Are to!"_

"Am not!"

"_Are to!"_

"Am not!"

While the stepbrothers argued, the butlers talked.

"_Greetings, Lawrence,"_ Albert's hologram waved.

"Oh, hello, Albert," Lawrence said.

"_How are you?"_

"I'm well. Thank you. You?"

"_I'm just dandy," _there was a bit of sarcasm in Albert's voice.

Meanwhile…

"_ARE TO!"  
_

"AM NOT!"

"Stop!" Sasha yelled. "Did you just call to argue?"

"_No, I called to get on your nerves. Ha!" _the hologram grinned. _"No, really. I'm called just for the Hell of it. And I wanted to see the famous Ratchet up close again. We didn't have enough time to chat at Gadgetron, did we?_

Ratchet glared.

"_I also wanted to if Qwark's changed."_

"Nope, I haven't changed," Qwark flexed his abs, "still as charming, sexy and--"

"_--stupid as the dimwit from school,"_ Heinous cut him off_. "Nothing special here."_

Qwark's antenna dropped.

"What about me?" Ratchet stepped forward.

"_This is the famous Ratchet who I met earlier? I've seen pictures of you before, but I never realised how short you are. Even at Gadgetron!"_

Ratchet frowned.

"_Or maybe it's just a lombax thing."_

"Enough bullshit!" Nefarious grew angrier. "What do you want?.!.?.!"

"_Damn, have they told you nothing? I want the destruction of all squishies. DUH! I mean--"_

"Not that! Why have you contacted us? And don't give that 'I want to make fun of you' carp! I know you, Jerem--" Nefarious stopped. He smiled. "I know you, Jeremiah."

That did it.

"_**I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO--!"**_

Suddenly, Heinous stopped. His anger got the better of him. And his head……… went into radio mode.

"_And now. We robots have taken over the radio station. We applaud Dr. Heinous. And for that, we're gonna play one of Courtney's Gear's songs. Here we go. 'Hey, what's up people, it's Courtney Gears. Are you feeling me, robots? I'm feeling you. I see the future and…'"_

"………," everyone stared.

"_Ooh! I love this song!" _a voice came.

Albert's hologram looked over the group as he said_, "Please stop dancing."_

The group looked behind them. Nothing out of the ordinary. Something must have been happening at Heinous' location.

"_I'll stop when the song's over," _the voice replied.

Albert groaned.

"Try slapping him," Lawrence said.

"'_Slapping him'?" _Albert's hologram cocked an eyebrow.

"Trust me. It works when it happens to Dr. Nefarious."

Nefarious nodded.

"_Okay, but I know I'm going to regret this…"_ Albert's hand reached out.

"…_When we exterminate all or-gan-ic--"_

SLAP!

"_**--CALL ME THAT!"**_

Heinous panted.

"_Aww, man! It was getting to the good part!" _the voice yelled.

He looked around to see everyone staring at him. "What just happened?"

As if on cue, Nefarious broke down in laughter. He had to lean on the railings to keep his footing.

"_What's so funny, Vince?" _Heinous glared.

"Hah hah hah. You got pissed off and--hah hah ha--went into radio mode--hehehehehehehehe!"

"_Is it true, Albert?"_

"_I'm afraid so, sir," _Albert gave Heinous a sympathetic face.

"_Darn," _the hologram snapped its fingers_. "I have some repairs to work on."_

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Jeremy, cuz the way we look and the radio thing are the only things we have in common," a serious Nefarious said.

"_True. After all, one big difference between us is that I'm a better robot," _Heinous smiled proudly.

"Excuse me? I don't see you sitting your ass on a throne while you rule a galaxy of robots!"

"_Yet!" _Heinous added.

Silence.

Nefarious and the hologram of Heinous stared daggers at each other.

Then…

Qwark raised a finger. "Excuse me, Dr. Anus--"

"'_Heinous'! It's 'Heinous', you idiot!" _the hologram barked.

"Whatever… Um, who else is there with you?" the costumed man asked.

"_Oh. Well… There're two. Here, Sandy," _Heinous faced the right, knelt down and held his hands out as if to call a pet. Soon, a robotic sand shark's hologram jumped into Heinous' arms and licked him. _"Aww, good girl."_

"Whoa, man. Like, what the heck is that?" Skidd pointed.

"Of all people, Skidd, you should know," Ratchet said. "It's a sand shark. A robotic sand shark."

"_Ratchet is right," _Heinous now stood straight up, pointing up with one hand while the other held the sand shark under itself. _"This here is Sandy, not only is she the greatest pet in the galaxy--" _Skrunch frowned, _"--but she's also the first to be transformed."_

"'Transformed'?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"_Yes, transformed. You see, before I transformed Albert and myself into robots with the laser I built that won me first place at the Invention Convention--"_ Nefarious clenched his fists at that, _"--I needed a test subject to make sure the transformation fluid I found at Vince's old base was safe. So, I sent Albert off to find a sand shark for me, and he found her. Later, I decided to keep her a pet."_

"What does a laser have to do with 'transformation fluid'?" Al asked.

"_Well, my laser was designed to amplify any liquid, by turning it into a laser beam. My first place to visit was Planet Magmos. I'm sure you remember Planet Magmos. Eh, Qwark? Eh, Vince?"_

Qwark simply nodded. However, is Nefarious was still organic, he'd be sweating with a pounding heart.

"_There, I found the liquid which was responsible for Vince's transformation."_

Nefarious shook.

The hologram seemed to notice this and grinned. _"Before I continue, let me say that I found a special book in the old office."_

Nefarious was nervous.

"_It was Vince's old diary."_

All eyes fell on Nefarious. The robot shrugged. "Heh, I could have sworn I was gonna get rid of that."

"_Don't worry, Vince," _Heinous put on a fake, sympathetic smile_, "I'll have the decency not to tell anyone anything… except for the last entry."_

Nefarious growled.

"_Apparently, Vince intended to jump into that machine."_

"What? Really?" Al went bug-eyed.

"_Yup. I read it in his diary. Although the handwriting was crappy, Albert and I managed to read."_

"Dude…" Skidd muttered.

"_What? Don't be so surprised I did it, after all," _the hologram said.

"Who knew, eh, Nefarious?" Sasha said.

For some reason, Nefarious smiled at that.

"_Anyways…" _the hologram went on_, "… I got the liquid. Albert got the sand shark. I zapped it. It lived. I zapped Albert. He lived. I zapped myself. I lived."_

"Unfortunately…" Nefarious droned.

"But vuy did you do it?" Helga asked.

"_For the same reason Vince did it. Immortality. Then--like Vince--I'd want to wipe out all who are different."_

"Yup," Ratchet nodded with his eyes closed, "that's what Nefarious would do."

Nefarious glared at him.

Qwark raised a finger again. "Excuse me again, Dr. Anus--"

"_Damn it! I said 'Heinous'!" _Heinous yelled.

"Whatever. Can that sand shark talk?"

"_No."_

"Oh. Then who else is there? When your head went all kazzappy, I heard someone else talk."

The hologram thought for a moment. Then… _"Oh, right. How rude of me."_ Heinous looked were Albert looked before and said_, "Come, Raxamis."_

Nefarious' and Lawrence's widened. "RAXAMIS?"

The hologram of Heinous frowned, put the sand shark down and stepped out of view. Only Albert's and Sandy's hologram stood. There was the sound of a struggle going on. The silence. Small amounts of talking which couldn't be understood.

Then…

"_Okay, Dr. Heinous, I'm ready," _a voice said.

"_Ready for what?" _Heinous' voice asked.

"_You'll see. Just step in first and introduce me."_

Heinous' hologram reappeared. _"Ahem. Introducing the amazing Raxamis!"_

That said, Raxamis' hologram stepped into view from the right.

"Looks like a badly painted Nefarious-clone," Sasha remarked.

Raxamis waved. _"Hi, Ratchet. Hi, Skidd--nice race last year--Hi, Captain Sasha. Hi, Captain Qwark. Hi, Clank--love your show, by that way--Hi, Helga. Hi, Skrunch. Hi, Al. Hi, Lawrence. And helloooooooo--"_

Nefarious cringed. _'Please don't say it.'_

"—_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo--"_

'_Please don't say it.'_

"_--ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo--"_

'_Please don't say it.'_

"_--oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Father."_

'_He said it.'_

"**_FATHER?"_** everyone, except for Nefarious and Lawrence exclaimed in unison.

(Author's Note: No, Sandy and Skrunch didn't say 'FATHER?'. They exclaimed that in their own language)

"_He's the one who created you?" _Heinous pointed a bewildered finger at Nefarious. _"No wonder you didn't want to tell us."_

"That failed art project is your son?" Ratchet pointed at the hologram.

"_Go ahead, Father," _Raxamis looked sad and angry. _"Tell them."_

"_This may be the only time I'll ever listen to you, Vince,"_ Heinous said.

"This should be interesting," Al put a finger to his chin.

"Rrrrrrrgh," Nefarious growled. "It hasn't even been a damn day yet since I told the galaxy about my miserable childhood--"

"_YOU DID WHAT? Man, you're pathetic, Vince," _Heinous frowned.

"As I was saying! After Qwark escaped from my base and I got _properly _fixed," he glared at Lawrence, "I decided to plan my comeback. Later, I discovered how much I hate the life of a squishy--and I still do. But before I even considered building the Biobliterator or asking the tyhrranoids for help, I thought I'd build a robot. As you can see, there he is," he pointed at Raxamis, "Raxamis Nefarious. I designed him to be a fanboy, because I felt like it. Heh heh. I gave him powers and told him to call me 'Father'. It was great."

"_Tell them what happened next, Father," _Raxamis edged the scientist on.

"A few years later, I had Courtney kidnap Clank after a filming and bring him to me. I asked Clank to join me, but he refused. So, I had a plan, see? I kidnapped Clank and put a copy of him instead. His name was 'Klunck'."

"So that wasn't you who almost swore at Qwark's funeral," Al said to Clank.

The small robot gave Al a weird look.

"After I had Klunck posing as Clank, and the Biobliterator nearly complete," Nefarious went on, "I saw Raxamis as a sort of--well--nuisance. So then, I--"

"_Tossed me into space like some piece of garbage!"_ Raxamis interrupted. He looked as if he was on the verge of tears. The fact that he was a robot prevented him from that. _"Luckily, Dr. Heinous found me and he's gonna be a better person than you,"_ Raxamis faced Heinous. _"Right?"_

"_Of course I will," _Heinous responded. The scientist closed his eyes, crossed his arms in front of his chest, tapped his foot, shook his head and said, _"Tsk tsk tsk._ _All this just because you couldn't get laid. Shameful." _

Sandy mimicked him--leaving out the closing of the eyes and crossing the arms.

Nefarious growled. "Excuse me! That never happened to you either!"

Sasha sweatdropped. "Could we stick to the subject here?"

She was ignored.

"_Who'd want to be involved with someone related to a loser like you?"_ Heinous pointed.

"Dudes, can we--like--chill?" Skidd asked.

"_Skidd's right. I'm not gonna waste time arguing. Farwell for now, Vince. When we meet face-to-face, we'll talk some more. Bye-bye," _Heinous stretched his arm forward. His hand disappeared. There was a click and the holograms of Heinous, Albert, Sandy and Raxamis disappeared.

Al, trace the signal. It could give us a clue on where Heinous is," Sasha ordered.

"Already on it," Al said. He was sitting at his work station, typing.

Everyone crowded around the techno-genius.

Typing…

More typing…

The sound access being denied.

"What?" Al typed again.

The sound access being denied.

"Rrrrrrugh!" Al typed again.

The sound access being denied.

"It's no good. Dr. Heinous must have installed a HistoryKill. I can't trace the signal," Al sighed and got up from his chair. The crowd parted to let him pass.

Slowly, more people departed. Nefarious, Lawrence, Ratchet and Clank were left.

"So, Ratchet, got anymore games?" Nefarious asked.

"Sure. You coming, Clank?" Ratchet looked at the small robot.

The robot who had been silent throughout the entire conversation said, "Okay."

"Come on, Lawrence," Nefarious called.

While the four were being transported by the transporter, Clank said to Nefarious, "Do not despair, Dr. Nefarious. Your stepbrother will be apprehended."

"It's not Jeremy I'm worried about," Nefarious responded, "it's Raxamis. He can be very emotional at times. And the fact that he's on the other side makes things harder."

The transporter reached its destination. Ratchet, Clank, Nefarious and Lawrence disembarked.

"Not to worry, Nefarious. We'll kick Heinous' ass and maybe Raxamis will forgive you," Ratchet said.

"Who's We?" Nefarious frowned at the lombax.

Ratchet shut up.

* * *

The gadget's arms were returning to it. 

"But, Dr. Heinous, I'm the son of your enemy!" Raxamis exclaimed. "Doesn't that make things worse or something?"

"On the contrary, Raxamis," Heinous said while putting the gadget in the cupboard. "This could make things better," he closed the cupboard.

"How, sir?" Albert raised an eyebrow.

"Think about it," Heinous said. "Vince hates me more than anything in the universe. But he still values you even if he threw you out a year ago."

"How do you know?" Raxamis said.

"Call it a brother's intuition," Heinous replied. "We could use you to our advantage."

The scientist walked to his desk, pulled a drawer open and extracted two black objects.

"Cool, walky-talkies!" Raxamis grinned.

"Yup, take them so we'll remain in contact while I'm working," Heinous handed the walky-talkies to Albert and Raxamis.

"Working on what, sir?" Albert asked.

"My weapon is nearly complete. All it needs is one more part. And after that's done, I'll need to find a power source."

"You said there's no more raritainium."

"That's right. I'll need to find an alternate sou--"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Excuse me, Albert," Heinous reached behind him and pulled out a walky-talky of his own. "This is Heinous, report."

"_Skkkkkkkk. Hey there, Heinous, this is Big R calling in to ask you if--ssskkkkkkkkkk--your refrigerator's running," _the giddy voice said over the walky-talky.

"Okay, nice one, Raxamis. I'm not falling for that old joke," Heinous spoke. "Besides, I don't even have a refrigerator."

"_Awwwwww! Dude! You ruined it!"_

"Where are you?"

"_Look behind you."_

Heinous did so. He turned around to face Raxamis.

"Boo." Raxamis uttered.

"Okay, nice one. Can you please listen to me now?" Heinous obviously wasn't amused.

"Sure thing, Dr. Heinous," Raxamis mock saluted.

"I need to find an alternate source of power for my weapon. While I'm searching on my computer, Albert will show you to your room."

"My room?" Raxamis looked at Heinous funny.

"You are gonna live here, aren't you? While carrying your unconscious body here, I told Albert to escort you to your room. It's on floor down. However, it's empty. If you want valuable items, search the ruined city in the east."

"Wow! Thanks, Dr. Heinous!"

Raxamis ran past the scientist, grabbed Albert by the arm--Albert yelped in surprise--and made for the door. The door opened--

"Oh, and, Raxamis…" Heinous called back. Raxamis turned around. "Since we're related, call me 'Uncle Jerry'."

* * *

Whew, that took longer than I thought. Anyways, please review. 

The next chapter will be great. I swear.


	24. Identity Part 1

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, the salesman would have made an appearance in the third game. (If he was watching the Secret Agent Clank movie, it doesn't count)

Thanks, captain deoxys, slyfoxx, Black Rosettes and Gruntzilla, for reviewing.

This is one of my favourite--hehehehehehehehehehehe--chapters. If you--hehehehehehehehehehehe--wanna find out, then read--hehehehehehe--this--hehehehehehe--chapter. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-four: Identity, Part 1**

Heinous sat on his swivel chair, typing and clicking. He was trying to find an alternate source of power for his weapon. The diagram to final piece of the weapon lay rolled up, resting diagonally on the desk to the scientist's left. Sandy lay in a ball to the scientist's right. The walky-talky lay in a drawer.

Heinous kept working…

* * *

"Whoa! This room is wicked awesome!" Raxamis stared at his room. "It's amazing, it's fantastic, it's breathtaking, it's--" 

"Empty," Albert interrupted.

Raxamis and Albert stood in the soon-to-be room of Raxamis.

Raxamis glared at him. "Must you ruin the moment, Jeeves?"

"There's no need to be so excited, Raxamis. It's just a room."

"Yeah, I know," Raxamis rolled his orange eyes. "But look at it," he gestured, "it's so big."

"……..…"

"I know exactly where everything's gonna go!"

SWOOOOSH!

Raxamis blurred to some random part of the room. "The bed will go here."

SWOOOOSH!

"The computer will go here."

SWOOOOSH!

"The closet will go here."

"It's already there," Albert droned.

Raxamis ignored him.

SWOOOOSH!

"The stereo will go here."

SWOOOOSH!

"The posters will go here--"

SWOOOOSH!

"--here--"

SWOOOOSH!

"--here--"

SWOOOOSH!

"--and here."

Albert's eyes kept darting to every location of the room Raxamis blurred to.

"The shelves will go--"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Much to Albert's relief, his and Raxamis' walk-talkies started beeping. Raxamis stopped running from one part of the room to another and answered his call. Albert did that same.

"Hello, this is Albert."

"This is Big R. State the business of your call."

"_This is Dr. Heinous,"_ Heinous' voice came. _"I have good news for you two. I have found an alternate source of power for my weapon. Meet me--"

* * *

_

"--outside, near my cargo ship ASAP." 

"_Okay, sir, we'll be there soon."_

"_Jeeves and I will be there or my name's not BIG R!"_

"_Please stop calling me 'Jeeves', Raxamis. It's getting rather old."_

"_Big R will call you what he pleases!"_

"_Sir, can you please make him st--?"_

-blip-

Heinous switched off the walky-talky.

He picked up the rolled up paper and Sandy. The sand shark was awoken instantly and growled in surprise.

"Don't worry, Sandy," Heinous said as he stood up. "We're just going outside." He started running to the door. "But not before a little pit stop."

The scientist focused to send a radio signal to the robo roosters.

'_Robo roosters, meet me in the weapons room on the twentieth floor. Hopefully, the constructobots have finished filling that room with items I'll need you to use on the next mission I have planned for you.'_

The scientist ran to the elevator.

* * *

"How can you just start playing after that, Nefarious?" Ratchet asked from where he sat. 

"Like this," Nefarious simply replied as he killed another virtual enemy in the game he was playing.

"We can't just sit here," Ratchet said, obviously standing up. "Dr. Heinous is out there and he could be planning something terrible."

"Please," Nefarious' eyes never left the screen. "If I know Jeremy--which I do--he'd take a while before attacking. And, from what I've heard, he's not ready yet. I say let him build his fancy weapon. Then I'll destroy it, destroy him and all will be peaceful."

"What about Raxamis? You said you were worried about him!"

"I know. I still am, you know. But now, there's nothing I can do. I--Aw crap! I can't hold enough weapons! I gotta decide which one I'll ditch," Nefarious forgot about the conversation he was having with Ratchet and focused all his attention on the game he was playing.

Ratchet put a finger to his chin. "Weapons… Hmmm."

"What are you thinking, Ratchet?" Clank asked from next to the lombax.

"I just thought of something, Clank!" Ratchet faced his robot friend. "Heinous is unlike any villain we ever faced. Even if he copies Nefarious."

"And your point is…" Clank half-closed one eye; he didn't raise an eyebrow.

"We need a better place to store my weapons and gadgets."

"What's wrong with the old place?"

"It can't store enough. I need a new storage watch."

"'Storage watch'?" Lawrence asked from behind the couch where he stood.

"It's something which can store a certain amount of items. Simply scroll through and select the item you want. It'll form into place in the hand where the watch is fastened to," Nefarious said as continued playing. "It event tells time anywhere in the galaxy and includes Helpdesk advice when needed."

"Yup. And we're gonna get one," Ratchet declared.

"Where are we going to get one of those at this time, Ratchet?" Clank asked.

"I agree with him, Mr. Ratchet. It is rather late," Lawrence said.

"Lawrence, we're not friends with them. Just call them by their first name," Nefarious grumbled.

"I don't have time for this," Ratchet started walking. "Come on, Clank. I know exactly the person who'll help us out."

"Who, Ratchet?" Clank jogged to keep up with the lombax.

"You'll see," Ratchet stopped and turned around. "Hey. You guys coming?"

"Uh uh. I'm playing," Nefarious said. "And Lawrence isn't coming either. I don't want him to help you, squishy."

"…..." Lawrence was silent.

"Okay then. We'll see you later," Ratchet resumed walking, unaffected by the insult. Clank followed.

* * *

Raxamis and Albert stood outside the base, near Heinous' blue ship, which was parked near Heinous' guarded cargo ship. The pod and crane Heinous requested were a few yards away, surrounded by thirty constructobots. The two robots--Albert and Raxamis--waited. 

Raxamis had his arms folded while Albert paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"Where could he be? It's been ages already!"

"Calm down, Raxamis; it's only been five minutes."

Raxamis sighed sadly. "It feels like seven minutes."

Albert rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Heinous came running from the base, holding Sandy under his right arm while holding a rolled paper in his left hand. He was followed by the usual ten robo roosters, which were equipped with one Vortex Cannon each.

Albert stopped pacing.

Raxamis waved. "Hey there, Dr. Hein--er, I mean--Uncle Jerry. What took ya?"

"I had to equip the robo roosters with the items required for the next mission," Heinous gestured while putting Sandy down. "As I told you before, I have found the alternate source of power for my weapon."

"And that would be…"

"Sewer crystals," Heinous said. "I discovered that in my research. Sewer crystals have a lot of stored energy inside them and would be a perfect example for power."

"You've got to be joking, sir," Albert looked disgusted.

"Would I have called you and Raxamis here for a joke?" Heinous smirked. "Albert, when was the last time I played a joke on you?"

"Never, sir."

"Good." Heinous turned to Raxamis, who had been quietly listening. "You don't have a problem with sewer crystals, do you?"

"Uh uh!"

"Great. Now let me tell you what's gonna happen. I have equipped these robo roosters with my upgraded version of the Vortex Cannon. Just one cannon can suck up to a hundred items, meaning that I could have one thousand crystals per round. The amount of sewer crystals has increased rapidly over the last year. The robo roosters are to enter the sewers--which, might I add, are the last places in the galaxy where sewer crystals can be found--and gather as many of them as possible. Then they'll return to the blue ship, put them in the containment unit and search again. Any questions?"

"What about the ameoboids, sir?" Albert asked.

"I'm way ahead of you, Albert," Heinous responded. "Believe it or not, ameoboids dislike the smell of tyhrranoids. So I covered them in tyhrranoid stench."

"Ew."

"Cool!"

"Are those all the questions?"

Albert and Raxamis looked at each other, looked at Heinous and nodded.

"Okay. Off you two go then. Do what they say on this mission, robo roosters," he faced the still troopers and said, "Accompany them, will ya?"

The troopers and robo roosters nodded and entered the blue ship, which Heinous opened for them.

"Wait, sir. You're not coming?" Albert raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. Sorry. I have a lot of work to."

"Awwwwwwwww! Please come with us! I want you to see what I can do!" Raxamis practically begged.

"I'm sorry, Raxamis," Heinous showed a sympathetic smile. "I'll come along on the next one."

"Okay," Raxamis calmed down some.

"That's my step nephew! Now, Albert, do you still know how to fly my ship?"

"After all those years of watching you drive that thing? Of course." Albert smirked.

"Excellent! Now the two of you are to take this ship to Planet Auatos. Near Vince's old base to be precise. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, sir."

"Take the transport ship thingy to the sewers and begin excavation. However, the pipe to the area is too small, so use the ship's transportation pipe. Okay?"

"Yes."

"…………………yeah…"

"Good. Then you're set to go. Return when the containment unit's full. When you're back, call me via walky-talky."

"Alright then, sir. Raxamis and I will see you soon," Albert turned and began walking to the ship.

Raxamis waved and followed.

Heinous waved.

Sandy stood on one leg and also waved.

Albert and Raxamis entered the blue ship. Not long after, the door closed. And, after a minute, the ship hovered upwards and left the planet.

Heinous turned to the constructobots which stood near the crane and pod. "Constructobots, I want fifteen of you to come here, scan this final diagram and build what's on it…."

* * *

A red ship landed on a familiar landing pad. The cockpit's lid swung open. A lombax and a robot exited the ship. The lid swung closed. 

Clank grumbled, "I cannot believe you're going to ask an outlaw for help!"

"What's your problem, Clank?" Ratchet glared at the robot. He was attired in his old-school garb. He also had his wrench. "Slim has a lot of unknown recourses which could help us." A beat. "And I'm not asking him for help."

Ratchet began to walk towards a teleport pad.

"Still, Ratchet. Would it not be safer to go and buy a new storage watch from a Gadgetron vendor or shop?" Clank walked behind Ratchet.

"Slim's simpler and more to the point, Clank," Ratchet simply uttered before stepping on the teleport pad and disappearing."

"………," Clank said nothing and also disappeared on the pad.

* * *

Cong! Cong! Cong! 

Ratchet knocked on the cylinder. Apparently, the opening where Slim's eyes should have appeared was closed.

"Hello? Slim? It's Ratchet and Clank!" Ratchet called. "We'd lie to buy something."

Clank folded his arms. "'We'?"

Ratchet didn't hear that. He knocked again.

Cong! Cong! Cong!

"Leave it alone, Ratchet," Clank said. "He's obviously not here."

"Shhhhh! Do you hear that, Clank?" Ratchet asked as he put an ear to the cylinder.

"I do not here anyth--"

"Listen," Ratchet cut him off.

There was the sound of shuffling going on inside the cylinder. Something was moving. The sound travelled upwards.

WUUUUUUUUUUUUURRrrrrrr!

The eyehole was closed no more. It was slid open from inside by none other than--

"Slim!" Ratchet exclaimed with a grin. "What took you so long?"

Slim's eyes displayed themselves in the opening. His irisless optics looked tired; they were half-closed.

"Nnnnnnngh. Do you know what time it is?" Slim asked, his voice a fusion between annoyance and tiredness.

"Since when did illegal dealers like you sleep, Slim?" Ratchet asked.

"Since ever. What can I do for you?"

"I was looking for a new storage watch for my weapons and gadgets."

Almost instantly, Slim's eyes widened in happiness. "Well then, I think I can help you in that department."

* * *

Aweird-looking 'pipe' entered the room from above. Attached to a part of its edge was a camera. The camera had a bird's eye view of Ratchet's ship. After the camera sent a signal to its sender, the pipe bent upwards to face the windows. It moved forward and faced downwards-- 

POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!

Albert fell out from the pipe's 'mouth'. He was followed by the ten robo roosters and Raxamis.

"Wow! That was fun!" Raxamis said. "Let's do it again!"

"I believe we have more important things to do, Raxamis," Albert said.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go," Raxamis agreed.

"It's nice to see that you're showing an interest in the mission, Raxamis. We will go soon. But first… how about getting off?"

Raxamis sat on a 'stack' of robo roosters. The 'stack' 'sat' on Albert.

"Woops!" Raxamis jumped off and landed on his feet.

His sudden movement caused the robo roosters to fall all over the place. Albert stood up, dusting himself off.

"Attention, trooper," Albert spoke into his walk-talky which caught the ship's frequency. "Contract the transportation pipe back into the ship and park the vessel on the island near here."

There was no response in the walky-talky, but the pipe moved backwards through the path it made and was gone.

The robo roosters stood up and awaited orders.

"Okay, Raxamis," Albert began, putting his walk-talky away; "let's find a way into the sewers."

"Found one," Raxamis' voice said.

Albert looked up to see Raxamis standing on higher part of the room. The robot stood near the door to a small transport craft. Raxamis tried opening it by prying his hands into the vertical crack the doors made.

"Rrrrrugh!" Raxamis lowered his arms in defeat. "Man, it won't budge!"

"That's because there's no transport craft." Albert pointed out." It's been taken."

"Crud! Then I guess we'll have to take the long way around," Raxamis jumped down next to Albert.

"Or perhaps we can take that teleport pad," Albert eyed the green device. "There is another room like this. I'm sure that leads there. The transport craft is bound to be in the other side. We could take that craft and drive to the sewers."

"Or maybe we could take the long was around." Raxamis stuck with his first suggestion.

Albert raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"The long way's dangerous. It's packed with nasty ameoboids, right? Well, look at me. I can clear them off for you and the robots, Jeeves. After we get to the other room, it's all, downhill. So, what do ya say?"

"Well… alright, Raxamis," Abler gave in. "But you'd better not get overconfident."

"I won't," Raxamis said. He pulled out a laser sword from his utility belt.

VIIIIIIIUM!

The sword gave off a blue hue.

KL-KLACK-KA-KLACK!

Raxamis turned his left hand into a laser cannon.

"Follow us, robo roosters," Albert said.

The twelve robots walked to the elevator.

"…………," Raxamis stopped, turned around and looked at the red ship.

When Albert noticed this, he asked, "Is there something wrong, Raxamis?"

"…….no. It's just that that ship looks familiar," Raxamis kept staring.

A beat.

"Oh well," Raxamis shrugged it off. "Let's go, Jeeves."

* * *

"Hmmm…" Ratchet scratched his chin. "I can't decide which colour I want." 

"Just pick one so we can go, Ratchet," Clank obviously didn't like being here.

"Let him choose," Slim said.

Three storage watches hung by their straps from the cylinder's eyehole. The colours were blue, green and red.

"I guess I'll take the blue one," Ratchet pointed at the one he wanted.

"Excellent choice," Slim spoke. "This one has the ability to store up to one hundred items at once. Like all other storage watches, it has helpdesk advice and cane tell time anywhere in the galaxy. However, MY version has a built-in laser. Press the green button to zap someone. Enjoy."

Ratchet pulled the watch out of the hole and stuck it onto his right glove. "Thanks, Slim."

"You're welcome," Slim responded. "And thanks for your old watch and the bolts. Are you sure that's all you want? Cuz I have some new products."

Ratchet seemed interested. "What else do you have?"

"Well, I have this new Gadgetron product. It's like the Devastator and the Annihilator. It's called the 'Obliterator'. Unlike most Gadgetron products nowadays, it has no upgrade level. This is so, because--although it requires more aiming ability--it's even more powerful than a R.Y.N.O III."

"No way." Ratchet blinked. "How much?"

"Forty thousand Bolts."

"That much?"

Slim's eyes frowned. "I'm being generous here. It really costs Eighty thousand Bolts. Do you want it full price."

"No, forty thousand's fine," Ratchet shoved a bunch of bolts into the slot that opened a few centimetres below the eyehole.

Slim shoved a huge, red gun with ten barrels through his eyehole.

"Whoa!" Ratchet gazed at his new weapon. "It's amazing."

"It sure is. But don't use it yet. This product won't be available at vendors till next week."

"Okay," Ratchet said as he placed the weapon on his watch. The Obliterator disappeared into a few sparks. "Anything else?"

"Ratchet, you got your watch and a new weapon," Clank grumbled. "Let us just go."

"Does he hate me that much?" Slim asked Ratchet.

"Nah. He dislikes lawbreakers."

"Uh huh. Say, is it true that you and the Phoenix folk have teemed up with Dr. Nefarious?

"Yeah. And so far, he hasn't tried to kill us."

While Ratchet and Slim talked, they remained oblivious to the rising elevator behind Ratchet. Twelve figures crammed themselves on it. Two of them also spoke on the way up.

"You are a remarkable fighter, Raxamis," Albert complemented.

"Thanks, Jeeves," Raxamis inspected his nail-less fingers. "But those ameoboids where jus weak, man!"

"True, Raxamis. But we did manage to acquire two sewer crystals."

"Walk in the park, eh, Jeeves--?"

"Hush! Do you here that, Raxamis?" Albert cut him off.

"……….," Raxamis listened. "It sounds like talking."

The elevator kept moving.

"…and he's pretty good at video games," Ratchet said to Slim.

"Who isn't these days?" Slim replied.

Clank heard the sound of the elevator and looked behind. _"Who would use the elevator here?" _Clank thought to himself.

The elevator stopped at its destination.

Clank's eyes widened.

"…and then he said--"

"Uh, Ratchet," Clank cut the lombax off as he pulled on his pant's leg. "We have company."

Slim's eyes looked up and widened some.

Ratchet turned around and gritted his teeth at what he saw.

Raxamis, Albert and ten robo roosters stood in front of the elevator.

"Well well well. If isn't my old arch nemeses," Raxamis grinned as he struck a villainous pose. "Ratchet."

"Uh… yeah," Ratchet said. A beat. "'Randy', was it?"

"'Raxamis'! The name's 'Raxamis'!" Raxamis fumed.

"Pssst!" Slim hissed from behind Ratchet. "Pretend I'm not here."

"I heard that, Slim." Raxamis said. "Don't think I don't know you're here. Just be quiet and I won't hurt you like I'm gonna hurt Ratchet."

"Me? What about Clank. The duo's name is 'Ratchet and Clank'!" Ratchet gestured to himself, then Clank.

"I will hurt Clank… right after I get his autograph."

Ratchet and Slim sweatdropped.

"Hey there, Clank," Raxamis waved at the small robot. "You're an awesome actor!"

Clank hesitated, but then said, "Thank you."

"It could be worse," Ratchet droned. "He could think that Agent Clank is real."

"Yup," Slim responded.

"Just what are you doing here, anyways?" Ratchet raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Jeeves and I are looking for an alt--mmmmfmfmfm!" Albert's hand clamped onto Raxamis'.

"We're just… er… sightseeing," Albert said.

"You can do much better than that," Slim droned.

Raxamis lodged his mouth free from Albert's hand. "Enough talk! Let's fight!"

VIIIIIIIIIIIUM! Raxamis equipped a blue laser sword. "Jeeves, I don't want help in this fight, so make the robo roosters stand over there," Raxamis said as he pointed his sword's tip to a window. "Oh, and hold my cape for me, will ya?"

Albert took Raxamis' cape and held it in both hands.

After receiving the order, the robo roosters were standing at the place where Raxamis said for them to go.

Albert stood near the elevator.

Ratchet grabbed his wrench.

Clank jumped onto Ratchet's back in Thruster mode.

"YAAAAUGH!" Raxamis lunged forward with a horizontal swipe.

Ratchet side-flipped to his left and landed in the lower part of the room.

Raxamis grunted and swiped at him again.

Ratchet barely had time to back flip.

"YAAUGH!" Raxamis swung his sword again. He swung before Ratchet could land. All he did was cause Ratchet to lose a few hairs from his ears.

Raxamis equipped a yellow laser sword--VIIIIIIIUM!--and attached it to the other. His double-bladed laser sword gave off a green hue. He spun it like a fan and ran forward.

Ratchet twirled his wrench and deflected.

CHING! CH-CHING! CHING!

Raxamis jumped, spun and kicked at Ratchet.

THWACH!

Raxamis' foot hit Ratchet's wrench and sent the lombax stumbling backwards from the impact.

WUMP!

Ratchet landed hard on his butt.

Raxamis landed gracefully and charged forward, weapon raised. "YAAAAAUGH!"

Ratchet quickly rolled out of the way.

CHIUM!

The tip of the laser sword hit the place where Ratchet's head once was.

Ratchet got into a crouching position and attempted to trip Raxamis by doing a crouching kick.

Raxamis saw this and back-flipped over Ratchet and landed in front of him.

Ratchet gritted his teeth, got up and did a comet-strike.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

Raxamis grinned and jumped over the wrench.

Ratchet also grinned.

"!" The robot blinked.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH! WHUMP!

"DAAAAAH!"

The returning wrench hit Raxamis in the back of the legs and sent him spinning vertically--

CLUNCK!

--and falling on his back.

Raxamis groaned.

"HAAA!" Ratchet came down with a hyper-strike.

"!" Raxamis quickly rolled forward, under Ratchet and--before Ratchet could hit the ground--did a handstand and kicked the airborne lombax in the gut.

BUMP!

"!" Ratchet's eyes bugged as he was send flying upwards, into the ceiling--

SPLAT!

--just so he could fall and--

SMACK! WHOOSH! BUMP!

--be sent flying from another kick from Raxamis--still doing the handstand--and end up hitting the floor near the entrance the transportation craft.

"Nnnnngh!" Ratchet quickly got to his feet and subconsciously reached for a weapon, when he realised the only one he had was the Obliterator, which Slim said not to use until next week. Ratchet only hopped he'd live that long.

"YOU'RE NO MACH FOR ME, SQUISHY!" Raxamis came running, his double-bladed laser sword ready. "YAAAAUGH!"

Ratchet got up and used his Thruster-Pack to avoid the incoming attack.

Raxamis missed this one and chased after Ratchet in the lower part of the room--the other side.

Ratchet 'welcomed' Raxamis with a three-hit combo.

Raxamis ducked the first one, jumped over the second and--

CLANG!

--deflected the third.

Raxamis spun his foot around, but Ratchet jumped over him.

THWAP!

Without looking, Raxamis back-kicked Ratchet in the rear.

Ratchet stumbled forward. He grunted and did his comet-strike again.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH! WHUMP!

Raxamis' back was still on Ratchet, so the wrench hit him in the back if the legs again. The robot spun vertically. "WOAH!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH! WHUMP!

The returning wrench hit Raxamis again and caused him to spin the other way.

"AAAUGH! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"

CLUNK!

Raxamis landed on his back yet again, this time more groggy from the attack.

"Brace yourself--HIIIIAGH!" Ratchet came with a hyper-strike.

"!" Raxamis had no time to do what he did earlier. He discarded his weapon and held both hands up.

GRIP!

Raxamis had both hands on Ratchet's wrench. He strained his joints to keep the oversized tool from coming in contact with his face. Ratchet was literally on top of this; he was trying hard to smash Raxamis' face in.

The two opponents frowned at each other.

Ratchet was surprised. _'Who'd know this clown was a good fighter?' _he thought.

Albert watched silently. _'They appear to be evenly matched.'_

However, Raxamis had other thoughts. _'Man, what I'd give right now for a couch, a holo-vid, a remote and grand-spankin' episode of Super Villain Weekly.'_

Raxamis then got an idea.

He used his legs to encircle Ratchet and pull him closer. This caused Ratchet's push to weaken a bit. Raxamis then brought his legs closer to himself, as if he was going to sit down. Ratchet ended coming even closer. Raxamis used all the artificial strength in his legs to throw Ratchet.

However…

Ratchet had an idea of his own. He arched his back all the way backwards, causing Raxamis--still gripping the lombax with his legs--to rise forward. And, in one second, Ratchet contracted his body and used all his strength to send Raxamis flying.

And it worked…

SWOOSH! WHAM!

Raxamis went headfirst into a window, luckily not so much as cracking it.

Ratchet slowly got up and tried to ignore the back pains he received from his stunt.

"Okay, that's IT!" Raxamis shouted as he got to his feet and--KL-KLACK-KA-KLACK--turned his left arm into a laser cannon. "HAAAAA!"

ZAAAAAAP!

The robot fired a blue laser.

Ratchet barely ducked the laser as it came and singed the hairs on his ears. "Damn it! What do you have against lombaxes and the hair on their ears?"

"The same I have against squishies--HAAA!"

ZAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAP!

Ratchet dodge-rolled one laser, jumped over another and--

CLANG!

--deflected another.

The latter was a mistake.

SWOOOOOOSH! WHUMP!

Ratchet landed face-first on the floor after being sent crashing into the wall above him by Raxamis' laser fire.

Raxamis smirked and turned his laser cannon back into an arm. He walked over to his dropped double-bladed laser sword and picked it up. The robot advanced toward Ratchet.

Ratchet saw Raxamis coming at him. He had to think fast.

Then…

Ratchet mentally slapped himself after remembering. _'The watch! Of course! How could have I been so stupid?'_

Ratchet got to his feet, aimed his watch, pressed the green button and--

ZAP!

"!" Raxamis quickly deflected before it could hit his face.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

CHIUUM! CHAIUM! CHAUIIIUM! CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUM! CLANK!

"Argh!" Raxamis shouted as the last ZAP! hit the middle of this double-bladed laser sword, separation the two laser swords from whence it came.

The blue laser sword landed on its only button and deactivated, leaving a small, metal hilt.

The yellow one stayed with Raxamis.

"YAAAAAUGH!" Raxamis charged with his single-bladed weapon.

"HIIIIIIIYAGH!" Ratchet charged, wrench at the ready.

CLA-IUM!

The two weapons clashed.

Ratchet and Raxamis pushed against each other with all their strength. They were nose-to-empty space.

"You're a pretty good fighter, Ratchet," Raxamis said.

"Thanks. You're not so bad, yourself," Ratchet replied, his teeth clenched.

"Of course you realise I'm gonna win, right?"

"We'll see--" Ratchet was cut short when Raxamis' foot kicked him in the crotch. His eyes bulged and watered as he wheezed, "No……fair."

"Life's never fair, Ratchet."

POW!

Raxamis punched Ratchet in the jaw, causing the lombax to teeter back.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha--!"

ZAP!

"DAAAAH!"

Raxamis' laughter was cut short when a green laser bolt came from behind Ratchet and sent the robot jumping several feet backwards in surprise.

"Nnnnnghh! Thanks, Clank."

"You're welcome, Ratchet."

Ratchet--still in pain from the kick--hopped towards Raxamis' fallen figure. The lombax climbed upon the higher part of the room and faced Raxamis.

ZAAAAAAAAP!

Raxamis let out a warcry and shot forth a blue laser from his laser cannon.

"!" Ratchet jumped out of the way--

CLANG!

Everyone--including Raxamis--stared as the laser hit the back of Slim's cylinder. Clank jumped off Ratchet's back.

CRACK! CR-CRACK! CRACK! CRAAAAAAAAK!

The pipes on top of the cylinder broke from the force of the attack.

The cylinder was knocked off its place and was sent grazing on the floor……… towards Albert.

"ACKIES!" the butler dove out of the way at the last second and the cylinder--

CRASH!

--landed where he was. Near the elevator.

CRACK!

The cylinder cracked open, revealing the person inside.

Ratchet's right eye twitched.

Raxamis' jaw hung open.

Clank blinked.

Albert was speechless.

They were staring at Slim Cognito, who was no longer covered.

"I guess the jig is up…"

* * *

WOOHOO! CLIFF-HANGER ALERT! HA HA! 

_**DO NOT MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR SLIM'S IDENTITY, CUZ I ALREADY KNOW WHAT HE'S GONNA BE. JUST GIVE YOUR OPINION ON THIS CHAPTER!**_

Now, if you'll excuse me: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


	25. Identity Part 2

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, Captain Qwark would have been a playable character in multiplayer in the third game.

Thanks, slyfoxx, Gruntzilla, Sarge11 and jay.w., for reviewing.

**_Read this:_** As you all know, I'll be revealing the identity of Slim Cognito in this chapter. I just wanna say something first. This story takes place after the third game. If Insomniac Games decide to reveal the identity of Slim Cognito in a future game, featuring Ratchet and Clank,--and it wasn't what I have planned now--let me just say this is MY version.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-five: Identity, Part 2**

_A laboratory. _

_Metal restraints._

_A cold table._

_Containment unit._

_A mad scientist._

_A defenceless animal._

_Hooks._

_Sharp hooks._

_Fifteen sharp hooks._

_Holding his eyelids open._

_A piece of metal on his head._

_Connected to the hooks via wires._

_And connected to a machine._

"_Hit the switch!"_

"_Affirmative."_

_Pain…_

_Pain……_

_So much pain……………

* * *

_

Ratchet, Clank, Raxamis and Albert starred at Slim's person. 

Ratchet rubbed his twitching eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly.

Slim stood his round body up and dusted his white skin with his free hand. His other hand held two fake eyes on a stick.

Slim looked at the shocked crowd and blinked his blue eyes.

"Phew, it sure feels better out here than in there," Slim said, pocketing the fake eyes in his blue pants.

Albert shook madly.

He picked up the items he had with him, which were Ratchet's old watch, the other two watches and the box of bolts which were attached to the slot. He put each item over his red storage watch. They electronically dematerialised slowly

Slim then walked over to the hole. The hole was where the cylinder once stood. He picked pulled out item after item after item. There where several of them, some old weapons, some unknown weapons--probably Gadgetron or Megacorp products--gadgets and a……………… Crotchitizer. Each one electronically dematerialising into his storage watch.

Slim stood upright and walked on his bare, clawed feet to Raxamis' lost laser sword. After picking it up with an amphibious hand, Slim walked back to Raxamis and held the weapon out to him.

"I believe this weapon is yours," Slim said, with a sharp-toothed smile.

'Uh……thanks," Raxamis took it slowly and returned it to his utility belt.

"Y-you're a… you're a… a… a…" Ratchet stammered.

"Yes?" Slim gestured with a hand for Ratchet to continue. "Go on."

"T--"

"Yes I am," Slim cut Ratchet off.

Albert was hyperventilating… as if he could breathe anymore.

"But how? You're skin is white, you're wearing pants and you can talk!" Ratchet was in a state of pulling his hair out.

Slim's eyes frowned and moved closer to Ratchet while the body remained where it was. "That's not a problem, is it?"

Ratchet's ears dropped. "No."

Slim's right eye turned and looked at Albert. He started walking to the butler, who was getting up after that dive he did.

Slim scanned Albert up and down. His eyes widened as the edges of his lips curved upwards. "I know you."

"……," Albert didn't blink. He just held Raxamis' purple cape in his arms.

The blue eyes widened some. "Oh, you're Albert!"

Albert jumped at the sudden outburst. "Y-Yes, I am."

"Nice to see again, Albert," Slim spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"N-Nice to see you too… um, 'Slim' is it?" Albert obviously didn't detect the sarcasm.

"You know I'd bite your head off if it wasn't made of metal. About that. What happened? Accident? Heh heh."

"Nothing you'd be interested in," Albert sneered.

"If I wasn't so sleepy, I'd turn you into scrap."

Slim started walking away, but he kept one frowning eye on Albert. When he started walking up the stairs, he focused all his optics. His tentacled orbs started dropping.

"Now… it's… time to……… f-f-find………… a …………new place to……………" he collapsed on his belly, asleep.

"Come on, Clank," Ratchet said as he went up to Slim and started hoisting him up from his armpits.

"Ratchet, what do you think you are doing?" Clank asked.

"Helping Slim," Ratchet replied casually.

Clank trotted towards Ratchet. "May I ask why?"

"Okay."

"………."

"………."

"……………"

"……………………."

"………………why……?"

"Because, Clank, he's helped us many times before. Remember when we went to Planet Gorn to kick the Thugs-4-Less fleets' asses? We wouldn't have done it without his ship upgrades! My Megacorp weapons wouldn't be so powerful if Slim wasn't there to sell us the upgrades! C'mon on, Clank. Slim is a resourceful guy. And who knows? We could get great weapons and gadgets just like the Obliterator. We may even find out how he became the narrator for the fifth Qwark vid-comic! Or maybe, we could just help him find a better place to live."

"………," Clank was silent.

"Besides," Ratchet couldn't help but smirk. "Since when didn't you care?"

Clank frowned and angrily crossed his arms.

"Hehehehehe. Come on, Clank. Let's just get Slim outta here and we'll talk later."

"Fine," Clank walked the rest of the way to Ratchet, defeated.

When they left the room, using the teleport pad, they forgot one… two…………. twelve things.

Raxamis, Albert and the robo roosters were left alone. Forgotten.

Albert was shivering, as if he could feel cold. But even if he could, he wasn't shivering because of the temperature.

Plant!

Raxamis landed on the lower part of the room and slowly walked to Albert.

"Say Jeeves," Raxamis said, "I'm not gonna ask you if whether that guy was real or not, because I know what I saw."

"………."

"Before I continue rambling, may I have my cape back?"

"……," Albert gave the purple material to Raxamis without a word.

"As I was saying," Raxamis began as he put his purple clothing on, "it was as if that 'Slim Cognito' dude knew you. What's up with that?" he put his fists on his hips.

Albert finally snapped out of it. "I'll tell you later, Raxamis."

Raxamis frowned. "Nuh uh! You're telling me right now, Mister!" he pointed a finger.

"If I recall, Raxamis, you didn't feel like telling Dr. heinous and I about your origin," Albert wanted to smirk, but didn't.

"Yeah… well I… uh… er. Um, that is to say………." Raxamis stammered.

Albert glared at him.

Raxamis gave a defeated sigh. "Alright, you win."

"Good. Come along, robo roosters."

Raxamis shrugged. "I'm not even gonna point out how cliché it was that we didn't mention what Slim was." A beat. "Right now, I'll respect the cliché."

* * *

_The pain lessened._

_Only throbs._

_The eyes are still held open._

"_Let's improve his sight!"_

"_Got it."_

_Pins_

_Long pins_

_One pin aiming at each eye._

_They move closer._

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_Closer…_

_They stop._

_One millimetre away from touching the pupils. _

_Someone presses a button._

_Energy comes from the pins and goes into green eyes._

_Dilated pupils._

_Pain._

_Pain…_

_Pain…_

_Screaming.

* * *

_

Half an hour later, Ratchet and Clank arrived back on the Phoenix. 

As the two disembarked, Ratchet said, "Now remember what I told you, Clank."

"This is not going to work, Ratchet," Clank said.

"It's worth a try."

They began to pull Slim's sleeping body out of the ship.

"Hey there, Sarge!" a passing ranger greeted. "How's it going--AAAAUGH!"

The ranger had notice Slim, who was still sleeping.

"Sarge, don't move," the ranger pointed his arm-cannon at Slim.

"It's okay," Ratchet held his hands up in defence. "He won't hurt us. And if he could, then we could reason with him."

"Oh no, Sarge! It's controlling your mind. AAAAAUGH!" the ranger started running in circles. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

The fearful ranger ran to the Bridge, screaming.

Ratchet sweatdropped. "Uh, I'm sure things will improve."

"I hope so," Clank replied.

"Let's take him to Nefarious and Lawrence," Ratchet suggested. "We could convince them to keep the secret."

"Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Hmm… Well, maybe not Nefarious, but I think Lawrence will comply."

"I agree with you on that idea."

"Let's quick wasting time and get Slim to--"

"Nnnnnghh!" Slim stirred awake. He stood up and observed his surroundings. He then looked at Ratchet and Clank. "Why am I on the Starship Phoenix? And why do I feel like I've been crammed in a small ship with you two?"

"How do you know it's the Starship Phoenix?" Ratchet raised an eyebrow.

"You're talking to Slim Cognito here. I have my ways of 'knowing'." Slim smiled proudly. "Now, why'd you bring be here?"

"Ratchet brought you here--" Clank began to explain but got cut off by Ratchet.

"Say, Slim, how come you knew that butler guy?"

"'Albert'."

"Whatever, Clank."

Slim seemed a little nervous.

"What's up?" Ratchet seemed concerned.

"I need to use the bathroom," Slim wheezed, clutching his groin.

"You use the restroom?" Clank half-closed on eye (raised an eyebrow).

"Got a problem with that?" Slim frowned. "Why are you asking; you're a robot."

Ratchet tried not to chuckle. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Anyways, you seemed to know Albert. Why?"

Slim was about to say something--

"Ratchet!"

The three looked at the ramp.

Sasha--equipped with a Blaster--and the Q-Force, dressed in their pyjamas, where walking down the steps on the left side. They were followed by ten rangers.

"Ratchet!" Sasha yelled again, dressed in her white night gown and white slippers. "Care to explain why you brought a tyhrranoid on the Phoenix?"

"I'm telling you," one of the rangers said hysterically. "It's controlling his mind!"

"Well… we… er…" Ratchet stammered.

"Interesting."

Everyone looked at Al. He was examining Slim.

"An albino, blue-eyed, pants-wearing tyhrranoid," Al said as he scratched his chin. He was wearing bright blue trousers, a bright blue nightcap with a yellow puffball, his old, white shirt with 'BIG AL'S ROBO SHACK' on it and yellow slippers.

"Great, now I'm a sideshow," Slim droned.

Everyone gasped.

"Dude, did that tyhrranoid--like--talk?" Skidd asked. He was attired in a shirt with surf boards on it. He also wore similar pants.

"Yes, I did," Slim nodded. "That's not a--dammit I'm fed up with asking it!"

"Amazing," Al continued. "This tyhrranoid is capable of speaking modern English with intelligence." He smiled stupidly. "This is worthy of a Nobel Prize!"

"Can we stick with the subject here?" Sasha asked with a sweatdrop. "Why did you bring a tyhrranoid here, Ratchet?"

All eyes fell on Ratchet.

The lombax looked helplessly at Clank. "Clank, a little help here, please."

"I am sorry, Ratchet," Clank said. "You are on your own in this one. And whether I can help you doesn't matter. My systems are overdue for recharging." He began heading towards Ratchet's quarters--where Nefarious was probably still playing.

Ratchet fumbled for words. "Well, this is our friend Jack."

Slim raised a finger. "Actually, it's 'S--'"

Thwap!

Ratchet's heel collided with Slim's shin.

The tyhrranoid winced. "It's Jack. Yup, that's my name. Jack… er… Jack Otingoc."

"Yeah, that's his full name," Ratchet simpered. "Anywho, Clank and I found him at this freak zoo thing. It's a real horrible place where innocent and special animals are looked up for all to point and laugh. Some say that all these creatures were on 'Nature's Mysteries'. He wasn't happy there, so we bought him here. His mind is riddled with information of weapons and such. He could help us in our mission to defeat Nefarious' stepbrother."

Sasha sighed and yawned. "I'm too tired for this. You can keep him, Ratchet. Just clean up after him if he makes a mess."

"I cannot believe she's just letting him stay like zat," Helga whispered to Skidd.

(Author's Note: I don't feel like mentioning what Helga was wearing)

"She's just tied--" yawn "--like me."

"I'm glad you're letting me stay here, toots," Slim said to Sasha, "but Ratchet got me here when I was sleeping. He and his robot friend didn't even ask me. Hell, I didn't even ask for help. All I need is a bathroom and I'll be on my way outta here."

A beat.

Slim frowned, as if he remembered something. "And, what do you mean by 'clean up after him if he makes a mess'? For your information, I'm housetrained."

"Sasha turned towards the ranger fro earlier. "Next time, wake us up if there's an _emergency_."

"But--"

"Get back to patrolling," Sasha interrupted the ranger. She appointed at the other rangers. "That goes for you also."

The rangers left the scene back to their posts.

"G'night, dudes," Skidd said as he stretched his arms and walked away.

"Yeah, I'm packing it in too," Al followed Skidd.

"Sleep iz the best part of being in good shape," Helga departed.

"I'm guessing you're an insomniac then," Ratchet muttered, quiet enough for only him to hear.

Qwark--who had been silently listening (his ego was sleeping)--was about to say something--

"Qwark, show Jack to the restroom," Sasha ordered.

Qwark was about to protest--

"Best do what she says," Ratchet--now standing near him--said. "She gets cranky when she doesn't her sleep."

"What was that Ratchet?" Sasha raised an angry eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Ratchet innocently put his hands behind his back.

"Get to it, Qwark!" Sasha shouted.

"Why am I always stuck giving the tour?" Qwark grumbled to himself.

"After I'm done, Ratchet, take me to Blackwater City with your ship," Slim said.

Ratchet sighed annoyingly. "Fine."

Slim and Qwark were gone. Apparently, Qwark was leading Slim to the restroom near the VG9000 room.

Ratchet turned to say something to Sasha, when he realised she was also gone.

"Damn, she must be really sleepy," Ratchet said to no one in particular.

"_Holy shit!"_

Ratchet was knocked out of his own thoughts at the sound of Nefarious' sudden outburst.

"I'm guessing Slim and Nefarious have met," Ratchet ran to his quarters.

* * *

_The pins moved away._

_He could see much better._

_However, the experiment changed the colour of his irises._

_Green tears fell from his eyes._

"_Let's improve his reflexes now. Make him more agile, nimble and flexible."_

"_I'm ready when you are."_

"_ENGAGE!"_

"_Right."_

_A laser._

_A long laser._

_Aimed at the square of his chest._

_Another switch._

_ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!_

_Pain._

_Unbearable pain._

_He screamed words which weren't of his native tongue.

* * *

_

Ratchet sat on the right couch, trying not to fall asleep. 

Nefarious sat on the left couch. His right ankle rested on his lest knee.

The oversized holo-vid was off and so was the VG9000. The game controller rested on the table.

Lawrence sat a few feet away from Nefarious. Silent.

Clank 'rested' at the far right of the room. His arms, legs and head were contracted in his body to form the shape of a turtle.

Behind the door on the left is where Qwark and Slim were thought to be.

Ratchet stirred himself awake for the umpteenth time. His gritted his teeth in frustration as his eyelids grew heavier. "Can we talk or Nefarious plays a game or something?"

"What's the matter, Ratchet?" Nefarious mocked with a nasty grin. "Afraid I'll kill you in your sleep? Hehe."

"No, I just wanna remain awake so I can try convincing Sl--Er, I mean Jack to join us," Ratchet replied.

"Why? You already convinced me to join."

"I know, but this guy's very good when it comes with weaponry. He could help us in defeating Dr. Heinous."

"Nuh uh, squishy! I'll be the one to destroy Jeremy!" Nefarious snapped.

"What do you have against organics, anyway?"

* * *

Slim walked out of the restroom. "Man, you Starship folk are too hygienic." 

He looked down and saw that Qwark had fallen asleep. The costumed man lad on his tummy, slowly rising and falling.

"………," Slim said nothing and proceeded to find Ratchet.

He neared the door which led to the game room.

The door was cracked ajar.

He heard something.

His pure-white hand stopped at turning the handle of the primitive, wooden object.

He could have sworn he heard a familiar name.

He listened.

* * *

"That's still not a good enough reason, Ratchet!" Nefarious pointed a blue finger. 

"Another reason why I want him with us is because he probable knows a little about our enemy."

Nefarious raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I'm the one who knows stuff about Jeremy."

"Yes, you know about his _character_, Nefarious. I think Jack knows about him too. Not his character, but something else. Raxamis and Albert where there the--er--zoo. Jack seemed to know Albert. And he also expressed hatred towards him. He might also know and hate Dr. Heinous."

"I know you'd hate to hear it, sir," Lawrence began, "but Ratchet may be r--"

Lawrence was cut short when Slim burst into the room from the door. He seemed angry.

"Jack, is something wrong?" Ratchet asked Ratchet, slightly less sleepy.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOUR ENEMY WAS DR. HEINOUS!" Slim yelled at the lombax.

Ratchet blinked. "Is something wrong?"

"Dr. Heinous is the reason I'm like this!" Slim gestured at himself.

"What?" Nefarious stood up in surprise. "You mean to tell me that Jeremy turned you into the tyhrranoid we see before us?"

"'Jeremy'?" Slim calmed down a bit.

Nefarious sighed. "Heinous' first name."

"Ah, yes. Anyways, he's the one who turned me into this freak!"

"What happened?" Lawrence asked.

"Oh boy," Nefarious smirked, sat down and casually leaned back, his hands behind his head. "I bet he's gonna tell you about some rough past he had with Jeremy. That's what I did. So, how long ago was it--?"

"This AIN'T A JOKE, NEFARIOUS!" Slim shouted.

Nefarious recoiled.

Ratchet winced.

Slim panted. "It was three years ago."

"The time when Chairman Drek was terrorising the galaxy," Lawrence said.

"Yup," Slim nodded. "Dr. Heinous had this crazy idea of stopping him."

"What was it?" Nefarious asked.

"An army of super-soldiers."

* * *

About time I updated, eh? Sorry if it wasn't what you hoped for. The next chapter will focus on Slim's past and how he became the mysterious shop owner we grew to love. 

Please review, but don't flame.


	26. Experiment 5

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, there would have been more boss fights in the first game.

I'm sorry to say I won't be thanking people for reviewing. Why? I just don't feel like anymore. HA!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-six: Experiment 5**

_Three years ago..._

_The machines finally stopped._

"_Ha ha ha ha ha! I have a super-soldier!"_

"_Yes, but this time, I'll call him 'E5' for short."_

"_I still think it's a bad and overused idea, sir."_

"_You think it's a bad and overused idea, huh? Then, why did you follow my orders without hesitation? Hmmm?"_

"_Because I wanted you to learn from your past mistakes. This is the fifth animal you've caught and mutated and it's bound to become too intelligent for our own good. We will have a shuffle with it. It will escape like the others. Probably die from being exiled by its own kind for being different. And--hopefully--you'll stop trying to create an army of 'super-soldiers'."_

"_Firstly, stop calling it 'It'. Secondly, how can you be so sure, Albert? And thirdly, someone has to save the galaxy from Supreme Executive Chairman Drek's planet-destruction!"_

"_What about that 'Ratchet' fellow? He could save the--"_

"_Ratchet has done nothing other than destroy a ship at BTS and win a hoverboard race along with his backpac intelligent for our own good. We will have a shuffle with it. It will escape like the others. Probably die from being exiled by its own kind for being different. And--hopefully--you'll stop trying to create an army of 'super-soldiers'."_

"_Firstly, stop calling it 'It'. Secondly, how can you be so sure, Albert? And thirdly, someone has to save the galaxy from Supreme Executive Chairman Drek's planet-destruction!"_

"_What about that 'Ratchet' fellow? He could save the--"_

"_Ratchet has done nothing other than destroy a ship at BTS and win a hoverboard race along with his backpack Clank. He hasn't done anything spectacular. But ME, however… I'll definitely manage to train E5 to respect and take orders from me. Once that's done, I'll make clones and together, we'll stop Drek and be rich!"_

"_Aren't you already rich?"_

"_Sorry, Albert. I mean richER."_

"_If you say so, sir."_

"_Glad to see you're agreeing with me, Albert."_

"_I'm not agreeing with you."_

"_It's close enough."_

"_Whatever."_

"_Let's wake him, shall we?"_

"_If you do, please don't say what you said to Experiment 4, sir."_

"_Don't worry, Albert, I won't."_

"_Well then, sir, I will not stop you from waking him."_

"_Good. I'll wake him after…"_

"_After what?"_

"_After a quick shower on the other ship. All this lab work is making me stinky with sweat."_

"_But you hardly moved, sir--"_

"_Later, Albert."_

_The sound of an automatic door opening and closing._

"_I swear. He can be quite silly at times."_

_The smaller figure was heard walking to the other side of the room._

'_E5' finally opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings._

_He was inside a laboratory. Right in front of him was the automatic door where one of the other people left. Desks, loathed with beakers, bottles and other scientific apparatuses, littered the floor. They covered almost all the metallic, blue floor. One desk had a computer on it. A rather large, rectangular-shaped console 'stood' a few feet away. Attached to it were several pipes._

'_E5' tried following them with his tentacled eyes, but the pipes moved out of his view. To be more specific, behind him._

_To his relief, the sharp hooks were no longer holding his eyes open._

_He gasped when he realised how well he could see. His vision had been magnified by a thousand fold._

_The Experiment made a note to himself to ponder about his heightened sight later._

_Another reason why he couldn't follow the pipes was because he was strapped to a flat surface of some sort. It held him up at a full ninety degree angle. His wrists bound to the cold surface by old-fashioned, metal restraints. The same for his ankles._

_The eyes travelled up._

_There it was, the laser which zapped his chest. It was hanging from the ceiling via things which where out of E5's line of vision, though._

_The metal thing was still on his head. There where three holes made so his eyes could 'be free'._

_E5's eyes scanned the right side of the room._

_There was someone looking out the room's only window. He was bent forwards so his elbows could touch the windowsill, resulting him resting his head in is hands._

_E5 tried speaking in his native tongue. However--_

"_You there, can you--?" he gasped in realisation that he was speaking English._

"_?" the man who was resting at the window was no longer resting. The experiment's call startled him. He jumped and turned around, revealing himself to be a blarg in a butler's uniform._

_The man trotted over towards the tyhrranoid. When he stopped, he said. "Ah, you're awake." He noticed that E5 was shaking. "Can I help you?"_

_E5 kept shaking. "I am…… I am not speaking in Tyhrranese! I can't speak in Tyhrranese!" He looked at the blarg. "Why am I speaking… speaking…--"_

"_English?" the butler finished for him._

"_If that's what this weird language is called, then yes," E5 replied._

"_I would try to explain to you, Experiment 5, but--"_

"'_Experiment 5'?"_

"_Uh, yes. That's your name."_

"_No, my name is………………… Oh no! I can't remember my name!"_

"_Quite right, you are. Your new name is 'Experiment 5'," the butler stated. A beat. "Or 'E5' for short."_

"_And why am I here? Bound by these things?"_

"_You mean bound by 'restraints'?"_

"_It doesn't matter what they're called!" E5 snarled. "Tell me why I'm here!"_

_The red butler didn't move. "Calm down, you are not in any danger whatsoever. All will be explained by Dr. Heinous."_

"_Who?"_

"_Dr. Heinous, Experiment 5. He's the one who brought you here. He is busy at the moment, but will be with you momentarily."_

"_And who are you?"_

"'_Albert Boltworth' at your service," 'Albert' bowed._

"_Well, Albert, why don't we wait for Dr. Heinous when I'm on my feet?"_

"_Sorry, no can do, Experiment 5," Albert held a hand up and shook his head. "Dr. Heinous' orders are for me to keep you where you are to prevent you from escaping."_

"_You'll let me down right now!" E5 panted._

'_Hmm. Everything seems to be going just like before,' Albert thought to himself. 'This time--however--things are going much quicker. He already has adapted to his language with out complaining about it so much, while the others kept howling in anguish at how they'll never be accepted by their fellow-beings.'_

"_What are you doing? I'm talking to you!" E5 'knocked' Albert out of his thoughts._

_Albert was becoming irritated._

"_I am sorry," Albert said, "but if you keep on yelling, I'll be forced to take extreme measures."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like this," Albert said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a foot-long peace of wood."_

"_What's that?"_

"_A tranquiliser," Albert simply replied._

"_What does it do?"_

"_You'll see," Albert inhaled, bought one end of the dart to his lips and blew hard."_

_Thift! SLINK!_

"_AAAAUGH!" E5 screamed as the sharp dart came in contact with his neck. "You won't get away with this!"_

"_Even if there was something to get away with," Albert began as he slid the wood back into his pocket, "I already have."_

"_I demand… an…… explanaaaaaaaaaaaaatioooon--" E5 was out like a light. He slumped in his restraints._ _Asleep. Tranquilised._

_Albert approached the tyhrranoid and pulled the dart out of his neck (Yank!)._

"_I swear," Albert pocketed the dart and began walking to the window, "he may be more tolerant of the language, but he's still as annoying and demanding as the others."

* * *

_

"_Hello?"_

"……_."_

"_Hellllo?"_

"……………"

"_Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooo?"_

"……………………"

"_Wake up, dammit!" _

"_H-Huh?" E5 stirred awake. He groaned silently at the fact that he was still hanging. He looked at the owner of the new voice._

_In front of him stood a pointy-headed man. His black eyes were small and sharp. Atop his head was a small patch of orange hair. He wore a plain, dark green jumpsuit. He was much taller than Albert. When standing straight, the butler would have reached his shoulder height._

"_Nice to see you're awake," he said in a deep voice._

"_Dr. Heinous?" E5 frowned and sneered._

"_You betcha," Heinous smiled proudly. "Don't sound so angry at me, E5--"_

"_Don't call me that. I have a name," E5 growled._

"_Oh? Can you tell me what it is then," Heinous smirked confidently._

"……_..," E5 remained silent. He decided to change the subject. "Could you please get me down from here?"_

"_I'd love to," Heinous simpered, "but Albert here--" he pointed at the blarg "--used his tranquiliser dart on you. It hasn't worn off completely. Take three steps and you'll have a headache along with a bad case of vomiting."_

"_Terrific," the tyhrranoid droned sarcastically._

_Heinous blinked. "Was that sarcasm?"_

"_No, I'm asking you out on a date! Of course that was sarcasm, you moron!"_

_Heinous looked at Albert. "Wow, Albert, he's already learned how to use sarcasm. E5 is progressing faster than the others."_

_Albert nodded._

_E5 frowned more. "Sarcasm is universal. Now why don't you start making sense and tell me what's going on here?"_

"_Certainly. Let me start from the top," Heinous said as he paced to and fro, his hands behind his back. "There's a planet, called 'Planet Orxon'. It's the home planet of a race known as blargs. Albert here is a blarg. Planet Orxon has become so polluted, overpopulated and poisonous; the blargs are unable to life there anymore. Now there's this man. His name is 'Drek'. Chairmen Drek. He's also a blarg. Drek has a solution. They--don't ask me who they are--will be constructing a new planet. A synthetic planet. How will they do it? Using highly sophisticated technology, which--I quote--'none of us could possibly understand', they will be taking a piece of several different planets and putting them together to form the new planet. Like a bigass puzzle. It sounds cool at first, but then you wonder what will happen to the other planet with missing pieces of themselves. According to Drek and the natural laws of physics, the sudden change in mass would cause the planets to spin out of control and drift into one of the suns where they'll explode into a flaming ball of gas. All Drek said about that was that sacrifices must be made."_

"_And what if the people of those planets don't like it?" E5 asked._

_Heinous stopped pacing. He looked at E5 with a frown. "Drek said if they don't like it, they can take their whiny, snivelling, snot-nosed populations, form a line behind him and kiss his--"_

"_Uh, sir," Albert interrupted from where he stood, "not to be rude or anything, but I think he gets the idea."_

_Heinous smiled at Albert. "Funny how he almost said 'ass', eh?"_

"_If you say so, sir," Albert shrugged._

"_What does that crap have to do with me?" E5 asked._

"_Well, E5," Heinous continued pacing, "what Drek's doing is good for his race, but bad for many others, right?"_

"_Right…"_

"_So… an idea came to my head. 'Why not create an army of super-soldiers?' And I thought, 'Yeah, why not?' But I'm not good when it comes to creating life unnaturally, even if biology was one of my best subjects. And I have little knowledge when it comes to robotics… However, I'm good when it comes to buying or building machines. It took some time, but I managed to construct the Evolver."_

"_Is that what this is?"_

"_Yup. The transformation you went through--"_

"_More like the torture I went through."_

"_--increased your intelligence, gave you the ability to speak English, sharpened your eyesight and heightened your reflexes. The after effects--however--changed your skin colour to white and your eyes colour to blue."_

"_My eyes are blue?" E5 looked into his own eyes and gasped. "MY EYES ARE BLUE!"_

"_Yes they are," Heinous didn't stop pacing. "I know that blue eyes for tyhrranoids are unnatural, but if you'd like, I could give you some contacts. Any colour you like!"_

"_Just keep talking and maybe I'll wake up to find that this was all some dream."_

"_Although it's not a dream, I'll continue," Heinous kept pacing. "After transforming you into what you are, I'll train you encase there are some issues left with you. Once that's done, I'll make clones of you and together, we'll overthrow Drek, save the galaxy and be heroes."_

"_That sounds good," E5 admitted. "But how can I believe you?"_

_Heinous stopped pacing. "Would I have kidnapped and mutated you just for fun?"_

"…"

"_Heh… That's what I thought."_

"_Where are we?" E5 asked all of a sudden._

"_My new lab on Planet Pokitaru. Jowai Resort, to be precise. It's always sunny here. If you think you're too pale, you could go catch some rays."_

"_No thanks."_

"_Suit yourself."_

"_You mentioned…… 'others'. Who are the 'others'?"_

_Heinous put on a sombre face. "You aren't the first creature I captured, Experiment 5. Hence your name. There were four others before you. Each one went through the same thing as you did. Unfortunately, they all ran away, because they hated it here or something."_

"_Were they also tyhrranoids?"_

"_Why bother obsessing about them if they're dead?"_

_E5's eyes widened. "You killed them?"_

"_I already told you. They ran away. All of them. I assume they're dead, cuz they would never be accepted into their own pack or tribe or whatever on account of the fact that they're weird-looking, you know?"_

_E5 sighed sadly._

"_The same goes for you, E5. Your place is with us now. The tyhrranoids of Planet Tyhrranosis will never let you in, especially due to their ignorance, gullibility and stupidity."_

"………"

"_E5?"_

"………"

"_Hello? Pokitaru to E5!"_

_E5 was looking down. He then looked up and asked. "Why am I naked?"_

"……_," it took a moment for that question to reach Heinous' mind. "Um… cuz it's natural for tyhrranoids to be naked."_

_E5 huffed. "Well, I don't like it. Could you give me some clothes or at least some pants and underwear?"_

"_Not that I'm a gay weirdo or anything, but," Heinous raised an eyebrow, "why'd ya need clothes?"_

"_Because it's indecent!" E5 growled. _

_Heinous jumped from the outburst. _

_Albert winced._

"_Alright, Albert will get you some clothes," Heinous gave in. "Man, you're just like the others." He turned to face Albert. "Albert, go get our guest some pants and underwear from the ship."_

_Albert raised a finger to speak--_

"_Make sure they're blue," E5 said._

_Albert tried again--_

"_What are you waiting for, Albert?" Heinous put his hands on his hips. "Get your red ass into high gear!"_

_Albert frowned. He walked to the sliding door. But before he exited, he turned around with a smirk._

"_Boxers or briefs?"_

"_**Just go, Albert!" **_

_Albert sniggered silently and was gone._

_Heinous and E5 were alone._

_Heinous turned back to E5. "So, what do you think about all this?"_

"_I'm not sure," E5 said._

"_Be sure, E5. You'll be staying with us for the rest of your--or my--life."_

"_Nnnnnghh! Why can't I remember anything about my previous life?"_

"_Cuz I deleted them. Can't have you missing anyone or anything back home."_

"_YOU DELETED MY MEMORIES?" E5 bellowed. "My life, my family, my friends? ALL GONE?"_

_Heinous made a face. "'Family', 'friends'? The Evolver has definitely worked."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_If you had one once of tyhrranoid-ness in you, you'd know that tyhrranoids don't build relationships! It's strictly……'professional', if you will. They just work in harmony with each other, and nothing more! They move in small tribes and that's it. You may look like a tyhrranoid, but that's all you are; a shell of your former self."_

"_Then change me back!" E5 barked._

_Heinous smirked. With a shrug, he said, "I couldn't, even if I wanted to."_

"_Why?"_

"_The Evolver doesn't reverse what it's done."_

"_Then build something new!"_

"_Why bother, Experiment 5," Heinous used the full name, "your memories are long gone." _

"……_.," the albino freak glared at the scientist._

"……_.," Heinous glared back, a smirk across his pale face._

"……_.."_

"……_.."_

"……"

"……_."_

"……"

"…_.."_

"………_. Are you telling me that the other four went through this exact same thing?"_

"_Yup. Same trauma, same colour-changing, same eye colour-changing, same intelligence, same speech, same memory loss and………………same bitching." _

"_Rrrrrgh… You just wait until I'm outta this. You'll wish I was never born."_

"_I think the correct term is 'wish **I **was never born'."_

_Just then, the automatic door opened. Albert stepped in. In his red hands, he held neatly folded pants, boxers and briefs. All of them coloured blue._

"_The clothing for Experiment 5, sir," Albert said as he finished marching towards Heinous._

_Heinous stopped glaring at E5. "Good, good, Albert. Lay them in front of him."_

_Albert did as he was told. After that was done he stepped to Heinous' right._

"_Now what, sir."_

"_Release him."_

"_But the tranq--"_

"_Its effects are sure to have worn off by now, Albert," Heinous cut him off._

"_They better have," E5 uttered though clenched teeth, "otherwise I'll have to use you as my personal barf-bag."_

"_Wow, Albert," Heinous said, "he really **is **progressing faster than the others."_

"_Mmmhmm," Albert hummed as he approached the Evolver's console. He pressed an unseen button.  
_

_CLANK-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK!_

_The restraints divided and--Thump!--E5 landed on his belly._

"_Remove the helmet," Heinous commanded._

_Albert pressed another button. He then grabbed a single joystick_

_E5 looked behind him to see that the helmet was connected to the evolver via two piped from both sides. The piped lifted up slowly. They were being controlled by none other than Albert. To quicken the process, E5 erected his eye stems straight up. Eventually the helmet slipped off._

_E5 was free._

_Albert left the console and returned to Heinous' side._

_E5 eyed the clothes. He then looked at Heinous and Albert with one eye. "Turn around," he said._

_Heinous rolled his eyes and turned around._

_Albert did the same._

_There was a shuffling sound from behind._

"_Anyways," E5 said as he squeezed into the boxers, "what of me is heightened besides my intelligence and eyesight?"_

"_A lot, E5," Heinous said._

"_I'm listening."_

"_Your reflexes have increased by tenfold, allowing you to be more reactive in the battlefield. You'er able to squeeze into any position you want. Your strength has also improved, giving you the power of a steroid-induced behemoth. Your body can adapt to any environment you are in. In short, you're practically invincible."_

"_Same for the other four?"_

"_In a way, yes."_

"_Interesting."_

"_May we turn around now?"_

"_Sure."_

_Heinous and Albert turned around._

_E5 stood, wearing blue pants. Here." He tossed Albert the briefs._

_The butler caught then awkwardly._

"_Now if you'll excuse me," E5 said, "I'll be going now."_

_Heinous did a double-take. "Huh?"_

"_You have told me all I need to know, Doctor, but now I'll be setting off to find the other Experiments. And once that's done, we'll come back and kill you………………sssssssslllllllllloowwwwllllllly."_

_Heinous sweated a little, but tried not to show it. "You don't even know who they are, and don't expect me to tell ya!"_

"_I'll find out," E5 said._

_Heinous fumbled for words. "You'll stay here and like it!"_

"_Sorry, but I have other plans."_

"_Albert, do some--"_

_WHOOOOOSH!_

_E5 blurred forward._

_Albert jumped out of the way._

_WHUMP!_

_E5 pushed Heinous into him and continued running towards the door._

_He assumed the door would open by itself, so he kept running._

_THUNK!_

"_YAUCH!" E5 gripped his head after colliding with the door which didn't open._

_He grunted and started hammering at the door with amphibious fists. D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DOING!_

"_Why won't it open?" he growled in frustration._

"_Because I've disabled it."_

"_?" E5 turned around._

_Heinous stood with a controller in hand. He smirked. "If you want it, come and take it."_

"_RRRAUGH!" E5 ran forward. WHOOOOOSH!_

"_Use the tranquiliser, Albert!"_

_Albert already had he pipe to his lips._

_Thift!_

_E5 stopped and side-stepped._

_Albert quickly reloaded and--_

_Thift!_

_--fired again._

_E5 ducked._

_Albert fired three at once from the primitive weapon._

_Thift! Th-Thift!_

_E5 ducked one, jumped over another and--_

_WHAP!_

_--batted the third._

_Albert fired his last one._

_Thift!_

_WHOOOO--!_

_CLAP!_

_Heinous gasped. So did Albert._

_E5 had clapped his hands over the dart, stopping it before it could hit him above the mouth._

_He gripped it with one hand, aimed and hurled it with all his might._

_SWOOOSH! SLIIINK!_

_The dart met Albert's neck._

"……_.," the butler blinked. "Uh oh." He collapsed._

"_Albert!" Heinous caught him. "Stay with me!"_

"_Don't worry, sir," Albert wheezed, "I had worse……..when………………… Experiment 3 kicked…………..me in…………………………………………….the crooooooooooooootch."_

_And he was out like a light._

_Heinous allowed the tranquilised butler to hit the floor. He glared at E5._

"……_," E5 was silently waiting._

_Heinous gestured the 'come and get me' sign with his left hand while pocketing the controller with the other. _

_FWOOOOOOOSH! E5 charged._

_Heinous was still._

_E5 was about to collide with him, when Heinous whipped out a taser._

_E5 kept running._

_Heinous aimed and--_

_ZZZZZZZZZZT!_

"_Aaaaaugh!" E5 screamed as his body sparked with overwhelming, electrical pain._

_He slumped down to his knees, slightly smoking._

"_Heh…….heh……...heh," Heinous walked past him." I'm gonna you out, put you back in the Evolver and turn you into a mindless zombie. Then I'll get the respect I deserve._

_E5 panted._

_Heinous marched towards one of the tranquilisers which missed earlier. He picked it up and strolled towards E5._

"_You may be intelligent, E5," Heinous spoke, "but you still have a lot to learn."_

_E5 finally uttered, "Like learning from my mistakes?"_

"_Yes, like learning from your mist--"_

_SNATCH!_

_Heinous gasped as his taser was snatched out of his hand. He tried to sink the dart into E5's skin._

_FWOOOSH!_

_E5 got up and ran forward, stopped and faced Heinous._

_They glared at each other._

_Three blue eyes to two black eyes._

"………_."_

"………_."_

_TWOOSH!_

_Heinous threw the dart._

_BITE!_

_E5 caught it between his teeth._

_Heinous barely had time to blink as--_

_FSWOOOOOOSH!_

_--E5 blurred forward._

"_!" Heinous made to jump left, but got zapped by the taser._

_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTT-ZZZT!_

"_YAAAAAAAUGH!" Heinous twitched and sparked all over._

_He slumped to his knees, smoking. Just like E5._

_Clank! The taser was discarded._

_SLIIIIIIIINK! The dart was forced into the scientist's neck._

_Before he slipped into unconsciousness, E5's voice filled his ears._

"_I'll see you later, Dr. Heinous. I'll make sure to finish my deal and kill--no--destroy you."_

_Then Heinous was out of it._

_Without a word, E5 pulled the controller out of Heinous' pocket and aimed it at the door._

_Click._

_E5 threw the controller over his shoulder. Before he made for the door, he uttered, "I just remembered. Thanks for the agility and stuff. They'll come in handy when I return." He knew Heinous wasn't listening. _

_He made for the door. This time, it opened for him.And was gone.

* * *

_

"After that was done, I found myself on one of Pokitaru's beaches. There, I stole a tourist's ship and left the place, not knowing where the Hell I was going. Soon, I crashed in Metropolis and was more lost than ever. I had to stay in the shadows, cuz I knew that people would have freaked at the sight of me. It was there where I met my associate. Although he didn't run away or wanna study me, he never gave me his name other than 'Mr. M'. He helped me find a ship and later, we thought of a name for me. 'E5' was lame. We came up with the name 'Sli'--er--'Jack Otingoc'. Later, we went to another galaxy, where he helped me establish my 'legitimate' business. He was even kind enough do give me a disguise to keep me unknown. In return, I give him ten percent of my profit. He even taught me slang. I aimed to search for my fellow freaks, but I got so caught up in my business, I practically forgot. The same for Mr. M." 

Slim finished talking.

He was careful not to mention things that would identify him as 'Slim Cognito'. He had met Nefarious before and the robot was in the same room as him. The tyhrranoid was unaware of why Ratchet had to keep his identity secret.

"That was quite an awful past," Lawrence said.

"Are you kidding?" Nefarious stood up with a grin. "That was awesome! The way you kicked Jeremy's stinky ass! Aw man, I wish I was there to see it!" And he collapsed with laughter.

"So that means you're gonna join us?" Ratchet sleepily uttered.

"You bet!" Slim said. "If I couldn't find the others, the least I can do is avenge our mutation."

"I hate to break it you," Nefarious said, "but I'm gonna be the one who kicks Jeremy's ass. Whether you like it or not.

"We'll see about that," Slim said. He turned to face Ratchet. "But if I'm gonna join, we're gonna need help."

"Who?" Ratchet asked, suppressing a yawn.

"My associate. Mr. M. Come." Slim yanked Ratchet off the couch and dragged him to the door.

"What about you guys?" Ratchet asked the other two.

"I have to recharge my power cells."

"I gotta play."

Ratchet groaned. "Fine," he looked up at Slim. "Can't I sleep first?"

"I'll drive," Slim said. "It'll be a long trip, so you can catch some 'Z's."

"Where are we going?"

"Planet Otlantis. Mr. M should be there."

They walked/dragged to Ratchet's ship.

* * *

"Whew, that's done," Raxamis said as the last amounts of sewer crystals got sucked up the pipe. 

"I'd hate to ruin it for you, Raxamis," Albert uttered, "but that was only one round."

"Huh?" Raxamis raised an eyebrow.

"We have many more crystals to find according to my Mapo-matic."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, man! Why?"

"The more the merrier."

Raxamis pouted. "Fffffffine."

"Come along, robo roosters."

All the robots present walked to the transport craft.

Before Raxamis stepped in, he looked back at the landing pad.

"….."

A beat.

"Shoulda known it was Ratchet's ship."

"Raxamis, are you coming?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh! Keep your pants on."

"Don't overreact, Raxamis. Master Heinous wants as much sewer crystals as possible."

"I hear ya, Jeeves."

"………."

"…………"

"…… Stop calling me 'Jeeves'!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

The craft detached from the docking bay and drifted towards the sewers.

* * *

Finally! I'm sorry I'm taking so long to update, guys. 

Anyways, R&R.


	27. Not enough

Disclaimers: I don't own Ratchet and Clank. If I did, this whole fanfic would be a movie.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Not enough**

Ratchet's ship travelled through space at acceptable speeds. Slim sat on the left side, his intelligence telling him which switch does what. He was hunched over some, because of the limited amount of room.

Ratchet lay on the right side. He was slowly dosing off, but before he could--

"Hey, Ratchet," Slim brought him back to…………the ship, "may I ask ya something?"

Ratchet didn't feel like arguing so he said, "Shoot."

"I like the whole 'teaming up with you' thing, but…… what's with changing my name?"

"Simple, really--" yawn "--You said that the cops were after you back in Bogon. By now, word would have obviously--" yawn "--spread here, saying that Slim Cognito is wanted. So--" yawn "--Clank and I agreed to change your name. If we said that you were 'Slim', they would have alerted the authorities……even if--" yawn "--they were sleepy."

"I guess that makes sense," Slim glanced at Ratchet with his right eyes. "Hard to believe I--with my genetically mutated brain--didn't see through it earlier."

"………."

"……….."

"…………."

"………….?" Slim looked at Ratchet with both eyes. "Ratchet?"

Ratchet was asleep.

"…….," Slim shrugged it off and resumed piloting.

* * *

"Was THAT the last raid?" Raxamis waved a dramatic hand to the pipe. "It's the eleventh time for God's Sake!" 

A long hour and fifty-two minutes had passed by since the first raid.

"Believe me, Raxamis," Albert said, "I know how you feel." He fingered his Mapo-matic some. "Praise the Heavens, it's the last raid."

"WOOHOO!" Raxamis punched the air as he jumped. "Let's blow this place."

"I couldn't agree more," Albert extracted as he extracted his walky-talky from his pocket. "Troopers, those were the last sewer crystals. We'll be coming up now and then we'll return to Planet Horax."

As expected there was no verbal response from the other end. Instead, the pipe increased its suction, pulling up three robo roosters which just happened to be under it.

"Robo roosters," you-know-who called, "position yourselves under that pipe, fore we're leaving."

The red robots did as they were told and soon, Albert and Raxamis were the only ones present.

Raxamis struck three different poses, jumped, rolled three times in the air and landed under the pipe with his arm outstretched and his head facing upwards.

"Suck me in, baby!"

FWOOOOSH! Raxamis was sucked in.

Albert rolled his eyes. "Yes, he was definitely created by Dr. Nefarious."

Unlike Raxamis' ridiculousness, Albert walked up casually and--

FWOOOOOOSH!

--was sucked in.

About sixteen seconds later, the pipe travelled up.

* * *

"Nnnnnnnnghhhh!" Slim struggled to pull Ratchet out of his ship. "Why won't…you just…move?" 

Ratchet drooled slightly.

The tyhrranoid and lombax had landed in a wide alley in the slums of Gorda City. Names, places, bad spelling, dirty pictures. All of them written in graffiti littered the walls. That, and black blood. Garbage cans lay unattended. A typical alley in the slums. And--as usual for this planet's everyday climate--it was storming.

Slim growled. He then got an idea. He equipped something from his Storage Watch and held it in front of Ratchet's nose.

Ratchet sniffed.

"…………………………..!"

Ratchet jumped awaked. "Ewwwww!" he waved his hand in front of his nose in an attempt to ward off the putrid smell.

"Heh heh," Slim chuckled slightly and put the gadget away.

"What was that?" asked Ratchet, fully awake.

"Megacorp's Stink-O-Matic, guaranteed to make anyone smell the smell they hate most."

"That's horrible!" Ratchet frowned.

Slim smirked. "If I do recall, you're responsible for shocking, blowing up, transforming, sending through wormholes of doom, igniting, cooking, melting, freezing, bombing, fooling, devastating, annihilating, decimation, slicing and punching countless amounts of people. Robots and organics alike."

"Err…," Ratchet scratched the back of his head nervously, "they started it."

"Whatever," Slim put his gadget away. "Let's go find Mr. M."

"And leave my ship here?" Ratchet gestured. "In this alley where it's most likely to get vandalised, stolen or urinated on?.!"

"You're right," without another word, slim equipped a glove from his watch. This glove looked nothing like the gloves Ratchet used. The glove produced a glowing, white ball.

He tossed it.

It landed on the ship.

_FLASH!_

The ship was gone.

"Where's my ship?" Ratchet asked.

"It's right there."

"I don't see it."

"That's cuz it's invisible."

Ratchet looked at Slim in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yup," he held the glove up for Ratchet to see. "Gadgetron's Inviso Glove. Can turn anything invisible for up to half an hour. Not to be released until two months from now."

"Cool, but how will we know which alley to go to when we bring in your associate."

"Mr. M has told me all about the ghetto places in this galaxy and Bogon. And with my brain, I'm bound to remember where to go."

"Neat. Now let's go find your associate."

"Couldn't have said id better myself, Ratchet."

They walked out of the alley and into the filthy streets.

* * *

A familiar, blue ship touched down on the planet's tough soil. Albert and Raxamis walked out. They were followed by the robo roosters--holding a big, cube-shaped object. The troopers were next in line. 

"That will be all for now," Albert said, to the robo roosters. "Set that down and wait."

They did as they were told.

Albert looked over to see Raxamis looking at Sandy. The sand shark growled something. Something that could only be interpreted by Dr. Heinous.

"Hey, Sandy," Raxamis said as he squatted down to her level, "what are you doing here?"

"I thought you hated that thing," Albert pointed.

"What?" Raxamis gave Albert a frown. "Since when did I hate anything as cute as this?.!" He enclosed her in a hug which would have caused an organic life-form to explode.

"Since it mad you crash into shelves by enveloping your head in hr mouth."

"What? Pffft! That never hap--"

WOMP!

Sandy had Raxamis' entire head in her mouth.

"AAAAAAAAGH! NOT AGAIN!.!.! AAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!" Raxamis ran around frantically.

"I rest my case," Albert said as he pulled his walky-talky from his pocket. He changed the frequency to Heinous' and pressed the call button.

Albert waited. He whistled. He looked at Raxamis.

The robot was screaming his hidden head off. At one point, he almost crashed into a nearby vehicle.

"_Snnnkkkkt! Skkkttss--What is it?.!" _Heinous voice cackled over the other end.

Albert put the mouthpiece to his mouth. "This is Albert. Good news, sir. Raxamis and I have attained all sewer crystals within the vicinity of the sewers."

"_Did you get all of them?"_

"Absolutely, sir. No other sewer crystals had shown up on my Mapo-Matic after we were done. Nothing was left behind."

"_Good good. Were they stored in the container like I asked?"_

"They certainly were, sir."

"_YESSSSSSSS!.!.!.!.!"_

"………."

"_Ahem. Excuse me. I'm just so happy. Our fists attack is mere moments away. All that remains is the construction of my weapon. And then, we'll be unstoppable!"_

"Sounds good, sir….. Not that it's any of my business, but………why is Sandy out here?"

"_Cuz what I'm doing is top secret. I can't afford to have any witnesses."_

"Not even a sand shark?"

"_Not even a sand shark. Say--now that you mentioned it--how is Sandy?"_

Albert gazed off in the direction Sandy and Raxamis where. Raxamis was repeatedly slamming into one of the ship's legs. He would run, bump, fall, land, get up, and do it again.

Albert answered Heinous' question. "She and Raxamis are having a thrill, sir."

"_Ah. It's nice to hear that, Albert. I'll meet you near the place where Raxamis crashed in The Big Room. Farewell for now--"_

"Sir, wait! There's something you should know."

"_What?"_

Albert bit his lip, hesitated but said, "While on Planet Aquatos, Raxamis--"

* * *

"_--and I saw something."_

"What did you see?" Heinous asked. He was on one of the base's floors. In a lab. Fifteen constructobots waited on the other side of the room while the scientist spoke into the walky-talky.

"_This may be a bit hard to believe, but I really did see him."_

"'Him'?" Heinous raised an eyebrow.

"_Yes. 'Him'. Anyway, Raxamis and I had just arrived in a room here he met Ratchet and Clank."_

"You came across Ratchet and Clank?.!"

"_Yes, sir. They were speaking with a man in a metal cylinder."_

"Did you kill them?" Heinous obviously wasn't interested in 'the man in a cylinder'.

"_Raxamis did battle with them. He's quite the fighter. However, there were no winners or losers."_

"Why?"

"_The fight was interrupted when Raxamis destroyed the cylinder. The man inside was revealed."_

"Who was he?"

"_Have you ever heard of Slim Cognito?"_

"Yeah. Sells products which aren't supposed to be sold until later, or sell illegal products. Sometimes upgrades weapons without the owner having to do all the work. He's a fugitive. What about him?"

"_Slim was the man in the cylinder."_

"Whoa! Really? What did he look like?"

"………………_."_

"Albert?"

"_Huh? Oh sorry, sir. What was your question?"_

"What did he look like?"

"_Well……"_

Albert said something over the frequency. Heinous listened to the descriptions. All the while, his eyes widened, his eyebrows rose and his jaw dropped. But what really got him was the name mentioned.

He gulped. "Did you say 'Experiment 5'?"

"_I most certainly did, sir."_

"If it's true……….do you know what it means?"

"_The other experiments could also be alive."_

"……"

"_Sir?"_

"……………."

"_Sir, are you alright?"_

"Tell the robo roosters to take the container where I told you to meet me. And bring Raxamis and Sandy with you."

"_But, sir, what about the--?"_

"Do it, Albert! Ask questions later!"

"_All right, sir. I'll meet you there."_

-blip-

Heinous switched off the walky-talky.

He put it on a nearby table.

He shivered, even though he couldn't feel temperature.

He hyperventilated, even though he couldn't breath.

If he had pores, he would have sweat.

Heinous slouched.

Heinous heaved.

Heinous remembered.

FLASH!

* * *

_FLASH!_

_A frustrated Dr. Heinous removes his protective goggles._

_His face is filled with determination._

_Bags are under his eyes from all the work he had done earlier._

_Sweat covers his head._

"_It had better work this time!"_

_Across the room._

_A pair of red eyes stair back at him._

"_**RRRRRRRRRRRAUGH!.!.!.!.!.!.! LET ME OUT OF HERE!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

_FLASH!

* * *

_

FLASH! 

Heinous stopped thinking.

"Nah," he told himself out loud, "for all I know, E5 could be the only survivor."

He stopped thinking and continued working.

However…

Now, he planned to add another feature to his project.

* * *

Ratchet and Slim walked down another filthy street. Slim was king enough to loan Ratchet his Magneboots, so the lombax wouldn't have gotten infected, had he stepped on something sharp. Also, Slim loaned Ratchet a coat to prevent the lombax from catching a cold. 

"He should be around her somewhere," Slim said, looking left and right.

"Maybe we should go back," Ratchet shuddered. "You know, come back when it's daytime."

"With this weather, it's always night time. Besides, what do you have to worry about? You've faced tons of scary things! Don't tell me that Ratchet 'The Saviour of Solana and Bogon' is afraid of a little lightning."

"I'm not afraid of lightning! I've faced it before!"

Slim stopped. So did Ratchet.

"Good, cuz I think I found his alley."

"'Alley'?"

"Just because he's in an alley, doesn't mean he's some drug dealer or something. This guy's constantly on the move." He started walking in.

Ratchet hesitantly followed.

The alley was just like the previous one, excluding the fact that this one was more claustrophobic. As Ratchet walked more, he could make out a tall figure. This figure was leaning against a wall. Eventually, the figure turned his head to see who was coming.

Flash!

He lit up a lantern and set it down on a nearby trashcan. He features could be seen.

"Hey there," the figure said in a deep and raspy voice, "what can I do for ya?"

And that's when Ratchet had déjà vu. And--no--it wasn't the plumber.

The figure noticed Slim first. And he smiled.

"H-Hey, Slim-ster!" the salesman said.

"'Sup, Mr. M?" Slim smiled too.

Their fists touched, then up high and down low, their hands joined as if they were going to thumb wrestle, they pulled, the hands separated, and they pointed at each other with the thumbs outstretched.

"Haven't seen you in a while," 'Mr. M' said. He then noticed Ratchet. "I'm guessing you came here to tell me that your identity has been discovered, right?"

"Not exactly. There was this fight; Ratchet against some robot. I think the robot shot my cylinder, breaking it in the process. Thus I was revealed."

"You don't say…," the salesman gave Ratchet full eye contact. With a smile, he said, "Ratchet, haven't seen you since the Megacorp games. Tell me, how did the Levitater go?"

"It went good," Ratchet said. "Clank and I managed to get in and we won a lot of prizes."

"Nice to here."

"Let's get serious," Slim said. "Mr. M, why didn't you tell me that the guy trying to destroy all organic life in Solana, Dr. Nefarious' stepbrother, was Dr. Heinous?"

Mr. M's face grew serious. "Cuz you would have most likely lost yer head and gone after him like some stupid moron. That's why."

"That's true. I guess…," Slim looked defeated as his eye stems dropped some.

"Have you decided do team up with Ratchet because of it, by any chance, have you?"

Slim's stems rose. "How'd you know?"

The salesman smirked. "You're not the only intelligent one around here, Slim."

Slim couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, that's true, dude. I'm gonna join them to avenge my mutation. Ratchet and Clank even changed my name so no one will call the cops."

"Nice. Found any of the other experiments?"

"Sadly, no. But if I can't find them and kill Dr. Heinous, the least I can do is kill Dr. Heinous. I won't be easy, cuz he's a robot, but I'm gonna try."

"You go kick his ass!"

"Heh heh, yeah……………. Say, Mr. M, another reason why we came he is, well…" his voice lingered.

The salesman raised an eyebrow.

Before Slim could finish, Ratchet said, "He wants to ask you to join us. Says you could help us with all the weapons and gadgets you have."

"What?" Mr. M asked.

"It's true, Mr. M," Slim said. "Help us out, will ya?"

"Sorry, no can do."

"Why not?.?.?.?.?"

"Simple, really," Mr. M began. "You joined, cuz--despite the fact that you're a wanted dude--no one knows what you look like. On the other hand, I'm a wanted dude and people know what I look like. You get me, dawg?"

"Yeah," Slim sighed sadly, "I get you."

"Besides, I don't like playing the hero."

"……"

"Say, I just thought of something!"

Ratchet and Slim both looked at the salesman.

He said, "What if the people who Ratchet fought told someone?"

"Don't worry. One of them would have most probably told Dr. Heinous. Heinous would most likely be scare or angry. No, he'd wanna finish me himself."

"And Ratchet's little robot?"

"He would never do that," Ratchet said. "Clank believes in piece. And if rules have to be broken in order to get piece, then he'll be up for it. That AND he's not a snitch."

"Nice."

"Well, I guess Ratchet and I should head back to the Phoenix," Slim said. "The only reason Ratchet and I came here was cuz I thought you'd wanna help out, but since you don't want to come, this was just a 'Hi, how are ya?' moment. Let's go, Ratchet."

"Hold on," Mr. M said, "I think I can help you out. But first, you gotta do something for me."

Ratchet leaned his head to the side. "And if we do…"

"You'll get yourself one hundred thousand Bolts."

"We're listening," Slim stopped in his tracks and looked behind him without turning around.

"A client of mine is expecting a……..delivery," Mr. M explained. "I need you to take this package--" he pulled a small, hand-sized box from his pocket "--and bring it to him at the Zeldrin Starport. In return, he'll give you one hundred thousand Bolts." He handed the box to Ratchet.

Ratchet looked the box over. "What's in here?"

"Nothing you'll be interested in, so don't open it."

"Okay," Ratchet put the box away in his Storage Watch. "What does your client look like?"

"He'll be sitting cross-legged near the landing pad. He wears a trench coat that's too big fer him. Also, he'll be wearing a porkpie hat. The password is, 'Mr. M sent me'. And he'll respond by saying, 'good thing you're here, bitch'. It's a code I use when I'm not making the deliveries. Oh, and you can keep the money. I don't need it."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yup, Ratchet."

"Gee, thanks."

"We'll do your thing, Mr. M," Slim said. "But why do ya need us to do it?"

"Do you want the Bolts or not?"

"Good point. Let's go, Ratchet."

"Hold on as sec, Slim," the salesman said, "I gotta give something to Ratchet."

"I'll wait out here then."

"What'd you have for me?" Ratchet asked.

"Check this out," Mr. M said as he pulled something out of his Storage Watch. It a black, spherical object. On one side was a bright blue 'G'. On the other side was a dark blue 'M'. And on top was a small, red button. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"No," Ratchet simply answered.

"This is called a 'Megatron Bomb'. It was created by both Gadgetron and Megacorp employees in the Bogon Galaxy during the time when Gadgetron was running outta business. Gadgetron thought that making this bomb would boost its business. They were dead wrong. The bomb can destroy a whole moon. It was so dangerous, that production stopped and the bombs were stored away forever. Luckily, I managed to get my hands on one of these babies. To use it, press the red button, let ten seconds pass and everything goes 'Boom'."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Cuz the galaxy needs a hero. And you're that hero. Not Slim. Not Dr. Nefarious. And certainly not Captain Qwark."

He held the bomb out for Ratchet to take. "Here. Take it. Use it well and only if you really need to."

"How much?"

"Defeat Dr. Heinous."

"It's for free?.!"

Mr. M. smiled. "If you wanna put it that way, then ya."

"Why are you helping us out so much?"

"Cuz I don't like this galaxy's organic life-forms being threatened by some loser scientist. Go get 'em."

Ratchet smiled and took the bomb. He stored it in his watch. "Thanks. I won't let you down."

"Don't worry about not letting ME down. Worry about letting the whole galaxy d--"

"No, I mean your delivery."

"Oh. Okay then. Cya."

"Bye," Ratchet walked up the alley.

Slim was waiting outside. When he noticed Ratchet, he asked, "So, what did he give you?"

"A Megatron Bomb," Ratchet replied.

Slim smirked. "I knew it."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Now let's quit wasting time. We got a package to deliver."

* * *

The usual four robots stood silently waiting in The Big Room. The colossal place was still full of activity--courtesy of the constructobots. All pieces of the weapons were present. At the moment, robo roosters were moving from the container to the boiler-like object. They put a sewer crystal each, went to the nearby container, got another crystal and put it in the 'boiler'. 

As usual, Raxamis spoke first. "Uncle Jerry, what is that huge thing?"

"That would be where all the crystals are gonna be turned into pure energy. Once that's done, that thing--which is called the Compound Reactor--will transfer everything up the pipe--" he pointed to a pipe with came out the back "--and into the enormous cube, which will transfer all the power to the weapon." Heinous finished explaining.

"Cool….I guess."

"Which planet will we attack first, sir?" asked Albert.

Heinous smirked. "Probably Veldin. I really feel like pissing Ratchet off."

"Why don't we attack the mind-steeling snot beasts from Dimension X?"

Everyone looked at Raxamis.

"………What?"

"I think I'll attack Metropolis on Planet Kerwan. Vince always wanted that place. I'd love to see the look on his face once he sees that I was successful and he wasn't."

"Rar rar rawrrrrrrr."

"Sandy's right. We'll attack there."

"……"

"…….."

"What?"

"What the Hell did she say?.!.?.!.?.!"

"Planet Marcadia."

"Since when did she know about the planets in Solana, sir?"

"Since I thought her. Isn't that right, my wittle cutie--?"

"Ugh. Dude! Enough with the lovy dovy stuff."

"Yes, sir. I believe it's quite irritating to us."

"Whatever. Man, these robo roosters are taking forever! Pick up the pace, robo roosters!"

"Do it or I'll zap you with my laser cannon!"

"Speaking of laser cannons, Raxamis, Albert told me you did battle with Ratchet on Aquatos. How's it go?"

"It was cool, dude!.!.! I was like, 'Dude'. Albert was like, 'Oh dear!'. And Ratchet was like, 'Aaaagh!' Somebody help me!'. And then, I--"

"Sir, the robo roosters are ready."

"Dammit, you ruined it, Jeeves!"

"Don't call me--"

"Hey, you two. Quit your squabbling and come over here."

All gathered around the Compound Reactor.

"Close the door!" Heinous ordered a random robo rooster.

The door was closed…courtesy of the robo rooster.

Heinous approached the left side. A few switches and whatnot 'stared back at him'. He pressed a button and stared at a small screen.

Albert, Raxamis and Sandy crowded around him and did their best to see.

The text 'CHECKING AMOUNT OF POWER. PLEASE WAIT' displayed itself.

"What's going on, Uncle?" Raxamis asked.

"It's checking the amount of power we have," Heinous replied. "Hopefully, we'll have one hundred percent. Then all that'll need to be done is building the weapon….which should take us exactly on hour."

"How does it know how much power we need?"

"When I gave the blueprints to the constructobots to build my base, I had plans for other things as well. This was one of them. I know how much power the weapon consumes, but this is more accurate. We must have the exact amount of power. No more; no less."

"It's ready, sir."

All four looked at the screen.

"…."

"…."

"…."

"……………..WHAT?.!.?.!.?.!"

The text read 'POWER AT 12 PERCENT'.

Everyone gave Heinous room to--

"How can this be?.! Sewer crystals should be at least eighty percent!.!.!.!" Heinous pounded the console as he yelled.

He slumped. "Now, what're we gonna do? All this work. All for nothing!.!.! Dammit. Dammit all."

An idea popped into Albert's head.

'_I know I'm going to regret this,'_ Albert thought_, 'but here it goes.'_

"Sir."

"What?" Heinous looked up.

"Remember when Ratchet and Clank went to another galaxy two years ago?"

"Yeah. They disappeared during an interview and came back a year later to stop Vince. After that, Ratchet told about his adventures in the other galaxy. Why?"

"When he returned a year ago, he had a powerful ship, didn't he?"

"Get to the point."

"According to the interviews, that ship was powered by Raritainium. So which ever galaxy Ratchet and Clank went to--"

"--should have a lot of Raritainium," Heinous finished.

"It's not promising, but--"

"Of course it's promising!" Heinous stood up straight with a smile on his face. "Instead of finding an alternate source--"

"Alternate alternate source," Raxamis interrupted, a finger raised.

Heinous glared at Raxamis before continuing. "We'll go to that galaxy and get some Raritainium!"

"Which galaxy is it, Uncle?"

"….."

"…."

"….."

"……."

Silence.

………

………

………

………

………

"Shit."

"What?"

"I don't remember what galaxy they went to." Heinous looked at Albert. And asked, "Which galaxy was it?"

"Sadly, I don't remember either, sir."

"What about you, Raxamis?"

"I dunno either."

"…."

"…."

"…."

"…"

Silence.

………

………

………

………

………

"Double shit."

"Aw man!" Raxamis palmed his forehead.

"Don't worry," Heinous said, "I'll just do some research. In the meantime, you two run along and do what you want. And my project isn't finished yet, so that should give you more time."

"Cool! I'm gonna go to the abandoned city and find me some stuff for my room!" Raxamis grinned stupidly. "Jeeves, come and help me!"

"For the last time--" Albert began.

YANK!

"DAAAAAH!"

Raxamis was running towards a parked vehicle while pulling Albert behind him. Him and Albert got into the vehicle and drove.

Heinous chuckled and shook his head.

"……………!"

The vehicle Raxamis was driving was heading straight for a closed door which led outside.

"Raxamis! STOP--!"

CRASH!

A hole formed in the door.

"Constructobot!" Heinous called a random constructobot.

The robot turned to look.

"Fix the hole."

The robot saluted and marched away.

Heinous faced the robo roosters. "Go and bring my blue ship in here, will ya? And get my cargo ship in here if it's still outside. If it's too hard for you, ask some robot for help."

The robots marched away without a word.

Heinous then picked up Sandy. "Come on, Sandy, we have some history to learn."

* * *

Didn't take long to update this time, did it? Sorry if it was too rushed. 

Don't make any assumptions about the flashback. Keep things to yourself.

Review please.


	28. We're going to Bogon

Disclaimers: Who invented these things, anyway?.!

I am so embarrassed. I had received a review, saying that I had screwed up in Chapter Twenty-three (not actual quote). It was as if Heinous had met Ratchet for the first time when him and Ratchet engaged a little on Kalebo III. I have some editing to do. Read it after this.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-eight: We're going to Bogon**

There was no real battle that caused the city--along with any others on this planet--to die. Since this planet lost a piece of itself--courtesy of Chairman Drek--the climate changed almost instantly. Immediately, resulting in the inhabitants becoming extinct without having a chance to adapt. The climate could have gotten warmer; it could have gotten colder. Whatever the temperature, the deceased people died because of it.

The planet had swung out of its orbit. After that, a lot ozone was lost. The side which wasn't facing the sun most likely froze faster than it would have, had the ozone stayed. And the side facing the sun most likely suffocated because of the air 'leaving' the planet and entering space's cold vacuum.

Like Planet Veldin or Planet Umbris, some of the ozone stayed. One could see space and the violet sky at the same time. The sky had many unfixable 'patches' per se.

The city was like any other abandoned city. Unique building complexes left alone, broken, forgotten. The streets showered with debris of an unknown struggle. The occasional dust ball thingy which is seen in cowboy movies.

In the present, the city was full of artificial activity. Hundreds of robots marched/drove in and out of the city to gather lost bits of technology. The salvaged parts would be used for building more vehicles and equipment. The equipment was for the cube-shaped base, which was a mile a way from the city. The robots were built off some of the city, as was the base. No matter what was taken, there was always more than enough.

As said earlier, vehicles were used as well. But there was one particular vehicle which wasn't used like the others.

"No, that one."

"Huh?"

"Press that button."

"How do you know, Jeeves? Hmmmmm?"

"Because I'm observant, that's why."

"Pffft…whatever."

Click.

_Wuurrrrrrrrrrrrr-Chiiiink!_

"Okay, so it removed that thing which stuck out. So what?"

"That 'thing' would have disintegrated anything in our path, had you pressed that button."

"Really?.?"

"Yes, really."

"Really rrrreeeaaaaallllllyyyyyy?.?.?.?.?.?"

"Yes, really."

"Reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?"

"Yes, yes really, Raxamis."

"Real--"

"YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"Wow."

"…"

"Really?"

"…………."

"Cool. Let's try it."

"What--?"

Click.

_Chiiiink-Wuurrrrrrrrrrrrr!_

"No, stop, Raxamis!"

"Too late!"

Click.

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!**_

"Ooooh…ahhhhh."

"Oh dear."

"That was awesome!.!"

"Do you realise what you've just done?"

"Um…destroy a building."

"That AND over fifty constructobots."

"……..oops."

Albert palmed his forehead.

Raxamis noticed. "What? It's not like they can't be replaced!"

"Just drive and search for something."

"Okay... Say what's this button do?" Raxamis pointed at a yellow button.

"It says 'Ejector seat'," Albert read.

"Really?"

"Let's not start with that again."

"Man, you're no fun," Raxamis pouted, "Why did you even come?"

Albert looked at Raxamis in disbelief. "I do know about some sitcoms, Raxamis. And I believe that you're doing that on propose just to be--"

Click.

Raxamis pressed a certain yellow button.

The roof of the vehicle suddenly whirred open.

"?" Albert looked up at the oblivion of space/sky. He didn't even have a second to ask Raxamis what was happening.

POMPH-SWOOOOOSH!.!.!.!

"!.!.!.!.!" Albert gasped as the ejector seat went off. _His _seat.

In under a second, he found himself soaring upwards. If he was still organic, blood would have rushed downwards.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAA_AAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa………!"

Raxamis shrugged comically and continued driving.

* * *

"Good… Just keep it steady…….and lower it gently," Heinous commanded. 

Him and thirty constructobots were about a mile away from the base--not in the same direction as the city. One constructobot operate a crane which carried the mysterious pod. The pod was slowly lowered into a deep hole.

The other twenty-nine stood stationary, waiting emotionlessly. Their hands were dirty with infertile soil from digging.

Eventually, the crane managed to lower the pod all the way. Then the crane pulled its cable up all the way.

"Okay then. Now bury it!" Heinous barked.

All the constructobots--including the one from the crane--started throwing soil into the pit. Some of them kicking, some of them gathering handfuls and others like dogs.

Soon, the hole was completely covered.

All thirty constructobots gathered in a line, awaiting Heinous' speech.

"Well done, constructobots. Well done," Heinous said as he stood in front of the line. "Together, we have built a crane, a perfect place to put my secret project and all this happened within a short period of time. But I'm afraid there's only one thing left for me to do."

The constructobots seemed interested. That was until Heinous said--

"DESTROY ALL WITNESSES!"

Before the constructobots could react, Heinous produced a green ball of energy, jumped back and threw it.

BLAAAM!.!.!

Five constructobots were destroyed instantly. Ten others were annihilated by the shockwave.

The robots ran in different directions.

It was futile.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous shot his 'trademark' yellow bullets from his hands.

P-P-P-PING!

Some bounced off the soil, while others--

BOOM! B-BOOM! BOO-BOO-OM! B-B-B-B-B-B-OOOOOOOOM!

--hit constructobots, causing them to explode.

Heinous ceased fire. He observed the scattered parts everywhere. Then he noticed something running away. The last one.

Before perusing it, Heinous destroyed the crane with more yellow fury.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.! KABOOM!.!.!

Heinous' wings emerged from his back and the scientist took to the air.

He soared to a certain height and began to peruse the last 'witness'.

Although the constructobots were good at building, they were hopeless at running. So it didn't take Heinous long to catch up.

Plant! He landed straight in the robot's path. The constructobot skidded to a stop.

TWISH!.!.! Heinous hot a disk from his mouth.

TWIIIII-IIIIIISHHH!.!

The disk sailed through the air and--

_**THWACK!.!.!.!**_

Decapitated the constructobot.

TW-TW-T-T-T-TWIII-III-TW-TWWW-TTTTWWWIIISSSHHH!.!.!.!.!

Heinous shot disk-after-disk at the robot. Each one hit its target. Each one from Heinous' mouth.

The remains of the robot fell to the ground.

Heinous stood up straight and panted.

"That…sorts out…everything……..--"

Heinous heard something. He listened.

"….."

It sounded like…….

"….."

….screaming.

"………..aaaaaaaaAAAA**AAAAA_AAAAAAAAAAAA--!.!.!.!.!.!"_**

_**WHUMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Albert--along with his seat--came crashing down.

Albert stopped screaming when he noticed he was okay.

"I'm……alive?"

"_Not for long if you don't move."_

Albert jumped at the sound of the voice. Although it came out muffled, he recognised it."

"Sir! Where are you?.!" Albert looked left and right.

"_Down here."_

"Where?"

"_Down here!" _a little louder, but still muffled.

"I don't understand."

"_Dammit, Albert!.!.!.! I'm underneath you!.!"_

"OOPS!" Albert jumped off and removed the seat. "Sorry, sir."

Heinous' head was the only thing visible. The rest of him was underground.

"It's okay," Heinous said. "Had I been a squishy, I would be dead."

"That's true," Albert said.

"But if you think you owe me or something, you can redeem yourself by getting me out of here."

"Right away!"

While Albert started digging, Heinous asked, "Why did you crash on me with a seat?"

"Raxamis felt like seeing what every button in the vehicle could do."

"He's quite curious, isn't he--?"

_BOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!_

The sound of something exploding came from the city.

"Yes he is, sir."

"Hm."

Heinous was free….eventually.

"Whew! That feels much better!" Heinous exclaimed as he dusted himself off.

"What exactly where you ding out here?" Albert asked suddenly.

"Err… I was--um--……sightseeing!"

"Okay. Should we return to the base?"

"Yes, we should. I gotta get back to the research."

"You mean you haven't done it?"

"Don't worry, I got it covered."

* * *

Sandy flipped through the pages of an old magazine. She was surrounded by several piles of reading material.

* * *

"If you say so, sir." 

"Good. I'll give you a lift."

"No, that's quite alright," Albert looked sick, "I've had my fair share if flying."

Heinous shrugged. "Suit yourself."

With that, his wings emerged from his back and he flew away.

"….'" Albert started walking.

* * *

"'Bogon'," Heinous read. Him, Albert and Sandy stood in the scientist's room. At the moment, they where at the desk. The piles of magazines still lay around the room. Forty-five minutes had passed since Heinous and Albert talked outside. 

"Is that the galaxy we must go to?"

"Yes, Albert. It's several light-years away. But with the technology I have, it could take us about a week to get there. And once we do, I'll have to study their cultures, currency, language…everything. And before we can go hyperspace, we'll have to make a little pit stop, and then travel to the other side of the galaxy."

"How long will that take?"

"I told you. One we--"

"No, I meant from here to the pit stop, to the other side of the galaxy."

"About one hour and twenty minutes."

"Not long."

"I know," Heinous started walking away.

Albert raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"To the top floor," Heinous bluntly replied. "Right after sending a signal to the robots."

'_Call all the other robots and bring them into the base. We'll be leaving soon. And bring your unfinished stuff and vehicles with you.'_

Heinous then took out his walky-talky. "Raxamis. Come in."

"_Big R here," _the replying voice sounded annoyed_, "what's up?"_

"Raxamis, return to the base. I've found out which galaxy it is."

"_What one?"_

"The Bogon Galaxy."

"_Kay, I'll be there in an hour."_

"Good. Are any robots helping you?"

"_No, they just--like--stopped dong what they were doing and started going your way."_

"That's cuz I told them to."

"_How?"_

"I'll explain later. Just finish what you're doing and get your ass over here."

"_Yeah, I will. Say, is Jeeves there."_

"Yes."

"_Um…is he alright?"_

"Yes."

"_Good. No guilt then. Ciao."_

The other line went dead.

-blip-

Heinous switched his walky-talky off and put it away.

"That's done," Heinous said. "Come on, Sandy. Oh--Albert--could you clean this mess up, please?"

"……," Albert looked at the useless magazines historical documents. "Not a problem, sir. But wouldn't it have been less messy to use the internet. You can find almost everything there."

"Sandy doesn't know how to use the internet, Albert."

"Oh, how foolish of me. Very well then. I'll start cleaning.

* * *

Hundreds of constructobots flocked towards the base. Every door which led to The Big Room was open. Not a vehicle or unfinished invention was left outside. The eighteen-story room was large enough to fit all the robots, vehicles, etcetera. After all, the deplanetizer, stolen tools, magnifying glasses, pink laser, and the last piece of the weapon didn't even take up a quarter of the place. The ten troopers and the ten robo roosters where also present. They had brought in the blue ship. 

There was one vehicle--however--which wasn't being driven by a constructobot. It was driven by Raxamis, who had a smile on his face. It had been an hour--not exactly--since his last conversation with Heinous.

SCREEEEECH!

His vehicle came to a stop. He jumped out. He barked an order at a random robot. The robot nodded and 'called' three other friends to extract whatever Raxamis found in the city, and bring it to his room. Raxamis pulled out hi walky-talky and spoke.

"Uncle Jerry. This is Big R. Can you hear me?"

"_Skkkktkc!--I hear ya. Where are you?"_

"I'm in the bigass room. Where are you?"

"_Top floor. So are Albert and Sandy. Come meet us there."_

"I'm on it."

* * *

"Can it really do that?" 

"Absolutely, Albert. I had it in the blueprints from the beginning. It's too complex for one person, so I've called for another four robots to help me work this thing. I've also had five passenger seats put in. And I've also instructed that all items be bolted down by use of a robot keeping it there."

"Wow, you've thought of--" Albert was cut off.

"Shh! I'm receiving a signal."

"…"

"…."

"…."

"…"

"…"

"…."

"……."

"All the robots are in; we can go."

"Let's go then."

"Let's wait for Raxamis first."

"…………fine."

As if on cue the automatic doors slid open. Flanked by four robo roosters, Raxamis walked in.

The room was large in size. Two chairs on the right, facing right; two chairs on the left, facing left. Each one with several buttons, levers, knobs. The main chair was directly in front of a screen. And--yes--there where shiny buttons there as well. Five passenger seats in the middle.

Naturally, the Sci-Fi fan in Raxamis took over.

"Oh….my….God….. THIS IS SO--!.!.!.!"

"Save it, Raxamis," Heinous cut him off as he went to the big chair, "we've got places to go."

Raxamis folded his arms annoyingly.

"Take a seat in the passenger area, please."

Raxamis sat down in seat on the far left. It was quite comfortable.

Albert sat on the far right. They both agreed on that without actually agreeing on it.

Sandy sat in the middle.

Each robo rooster took a place on one of the co-piloting seats.

(Author's Note: Getting tired of the word 'seat', are you? Well, hang in there)

And finally, Heinous sat in the captain's chair. He pressed a few buttons here and there and spoke into a headset he had just put on.

"You robo roosters ready?"

He received morse code replies, all of which said 'Yes'. Luckily for his robotic brain, he could understand them.

"Good. Albert, Raxamis and Sandy, will you please fasten your seatbelts?"

Albert complied without question.

Raxamis helped Sandy with hers. After all, the sand shark had no hands. He then fastened his own.

"Robo rooster Two! Make sure all entrances outside are shut tight! Robo rooster One! Start the engines!

Click.

* * *

The orange cube began to rumble, causing a small earthquake to occur. 

_**PSHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The base began to rise.

Up…

Up……

Up……..

Up…………

…..and….

_**PSHHHOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The base rose completely.

Underneath the huge cube where four colossal objects that resembled rockets. Each one of them took up a quarter of the base's base. Each one of them left a big hole behind. Each one would have evaporated anything below them.

The base kept rising, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

Raxamis' exclamations of how 'cool' it was, were muffled by the noise.

* * *

Eventually, the base reached deep space. And if one thought things couldn't get more farfetched, they did. 

The four long engines extended where they faced by their own length. They were twice as long as before now. The all bent to face the same direction and engaged themselves to move.

In other words, the base travelled in the opposite direction of where the 'mouths' were facing.

* * *

Ratchet's ship touched down on a familiar landing pad. Along the way, the lombax and Slim had agreed that Slim wouldn't exit the ship. After all, he was still a freak. 

Ratchet hopped out and began his search for the 'customer'. His search ended quickly as he saw a figure wearing a trench coat and hat, obscuring any features from being seen. It was leaning against a wall.

Slowly, Ratchet approached the figure. It didn't even stir.

When Ratchet was within ten feet of it, he said, "Mr. M sent me."

The figure's head turned. Shadowed eyes stared at him.

"Good thing you're here, bitch," it said, standing up and removing his hat. Ratchet was starring at a Marcadian. His brown eyes never lost contact with Ratchet. "You got the box?"

"You got the money?" Ratchet came back with. He remembered everything Slim told him. And what he learnt when he was young.

The Marcadian grunted and reach into one of his many pockets and pulled out a small bag.

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"No!" the cazar spat. He held the bag out for Ratchet to take.

That lombax took the bad and placed it in his new Storage Watch.

The coated man pulled bag after bag after bag after bag after bag. Ratchet stored and stored and stored and stored and stored.

When the last bag was stored, the man said, "That was one hundred thousand Bolts. Now give me what I came here for."

Ratchet frowned and pulled the box and held it out to give to the cazar.

SNATCH!

The man tore it open and looked inside. He extracted a photograph. He made sure that the picture didn't face Ratchet.

"What is it?" Ratchet asked innocently.

"None of your business!.!.!" he pocketed the picture, put his hat back on and trotted away.

"Gees, he's friendly," Ratchet said to no one in particular.

He was about to leave, when he heard a sound. He ears perked up as he followed the noise.

He could make it out as someone talking. He walked towards a corner. He flattened himself against the wall and looked around the corner.

"!.!.!.!.!"

He looked back to avoid being seen. Instead, he listened with lombax ears.

There where three people; two robots and an organic.

The robots were none other than Dr. Heinous and Raxamis.

"Have you filled it up all the way?"

"Yes. Please--just--don't hurt me!"

"We'll do whatever we damn what, squishy!"

"Quiet, Raxamis, I'm trying to see how much bolts we have?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Well, I can't leave here without paying!"

"Then, what did you need me here for, man?"

"To keep this guy from calling for help. I'm may be out to destroy all organic life in Solana, but I still have morals."

"You gotta be firkin' kidding me."

"I'm afraid not, Raxamis. You see--"

"He's making a run for it! I'll stop him."

CL-CLACK-CA-CLACK!

"No not like t--!"

ZAAAAAP!.!.!.!

SPLORCH!.!.!

Thump.

Ratchet flinched.

"Now look what you did!"

"If you mean 'saving our butts', then--"

"Why did you have to kill him?.!.?.!"

"He was gonna go for help!"

"Whatever. Let's just get outta here. We have enough fuel to take us to the Bogon Galaxy."

Ratchet blinked. _'Did he say 'Bogon'?'_

"Pffft! Fine……."

Instead of trying to stop them, Ratchet decided to run to his ship. He wasn't going to try and follow Heinous just yet.

* * *

The Phoenix staff were waking up slowly. The cafeteria was full of activity. Hungry workers eating to prepare them for the day ahead. 

"How'd you sleep, Qwark?" Al asked Qwark from across the table.

"It was weird," Qwark responded. "I woke up on the floor in front of one of the bathrooms."

"I--like--had this dream, dudes," Skidd said from next to Al. "I--like--learnt how to swim. I was freaky, dudes."

Al raised an eyebrow. He swallowed a bite from his sandwich and asked, "You can't swim?"

"Err…I mean… I couldn't swim. Yeah! That's it."

Suddenly, Ratchet ran by the table.

"Hey there, Ratchet," Al greeted. "Where have you been?"

"The Zeldrin Starport!" Ratchet said in one breath. He was obviously panting. "Where's Sasha?"

"The Bridge," Qwark said. "Say, what were you doing at--?"

WHOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!

Ratchet ran out of the room, trailing napkins and plastic cutlery.

* * *

Ratchet panted as he stumbled into the Bridge. He looked around for Sasha. 

"…"

He spotted her and ran.

"Sasha! We need to talk!" Ratchet panted as he reached the captain.

Sasha looked up from her toast, swallowed and uttered, "Good. We need to discus that white tyhrranoid and--" she got cut off.

"I saw Dr. Heinous!"

That got her attention.

"What?.! Where?.!.?.!"

"The Zeldrin Starport!"

"What were you doing--?"

"I heard him talking with Raxamis!"

"What did they say?"

"They said they were going to the Bogon Galaxy!"

"Are you sure it was them?"

"Positive. Raxamis even killed a guy! They're going to Bogon."

"Why?"

"I dunno! But that's where they said they were headed! We have to hurry!"

Sasha nodded. "I think I'll skip breakfast. Ranger!" she pointed at a random ranger.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Have an email sent to the President. Make sure it says that the Starship Phoenix is going to the Bogon Galaxy to track down Dr. Heinous, who Ratchet said is travelling to that galaxy for reasons unknown."

"Aye, ma'am!"

"Do you know which way to go?" Ratchet asked Sasha.

"I only know the direction. I don't know anything else about Bogon."

"Don't worry! Clank and I have been thee before. We'll clue you in on everything."

"Good. Rangers, take your positions. Prepare for hyperspace!"

All the rangers scattered in different directions to their posts.

"How long will the trip take?"

"Well, Ratchet, with the technology we have, about a week."

"That's good enough. Let's hope that Heinous isn't that fast."

"Attention all Phoenix personnel!" Sasha spoke into an intercom, amplifying her voice around the ship. "Get read, cuz Ratchet has found out where Dr. Heinous is. He's heading for another galaxy. We don't know why, but we're going to go after him. Brace yourselves, everyone; we're going to the Bogon Galaxy!"

* * *

Another chapter done. Sorry if it was rushed; I just wanted to get it over with. Review please. 


	29. Not there yet

Disclaimers: …

I feel like teasing you, so this chapter isn't based on the arrival. HA!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-nine: Not there yet**

The giant cube that was Heinous' base was remotely quiet. All activity was in The Big Room. All sounds in The Big Room were muffled by the soundproof walls.

The four robo roosters were piloting the base constantly.

At the moment, Heinous was in his room…..along with Sandy.

The scientist slept in his single bed. He was being recharged by wires which came from the wall.

Sandy was curled into a ball in her basket, which was beside Heinous' bed. Like the scientist, she had wires recharging her systems.

Perhaps, sleep was one of the few organic functions they had left in their robotic bodies……even if it was referred to 'sleep mode'.

However, their sleep was interrupted by the sound of music.

"?" Heinous' yellow eyes slowly opened. He sat up in his bed and uncovered himself. He reached a hand out and pressed a button on the wall. The wires detached from his body and seeped back to the wall whence they came. They weren't detached from Sandy though.

Slowly, Heinous stepped out of his bed in an attempt not to wake the sleeping sand shark who seemed unaffected to the loud music.

Heinous stood in the middle of the room…….and listened.

"………"

His head lowered until it was facing the floor. The noise was coming from below.

Heinous raised an eyebrow.

"………"

He exited his room. Luckily, the self-opening door wasn't noisy. All the hall lights were off, but his yellow orbs illuminated wherever he faced.

To his surprise, Albert's door opened as well. The butler came out, attired in a navy top with matching trousers and slippers. In his hand was a lit lantern. In the other was a long pipe.

"Sir…do you hear that?"

"Yeah….it sounds like music."

"Where is it coming from?"

"One floor down," Heinous pointed downward.

"You don't suppose Raxamis is behind this…..do you?"

"Probably. He did say that he found some cool stuff back in the city. Let's go check on him."

Albert nodded silently.

The two made their way towards the elevator.

"….."

"….."

* * *

The two crept towards Raxamis' bedroom door. The music was definitely coming from behind the door. 

Heinous and Albert crept forward slowly.

They got closer.

"….."

"….."

Closer…

The bright black 'R' became visible with the lights coming from the lantern and eyes

Closer……

Albert's fingers tightened around the steel pipe.

Closer………

Heinous got ready to shoot yellow from his hands.

Closer…………

The music became louder.

Closer……………

One metre separated Heinous and Albert from the wall.

The wall slid open automatically.

Heinous and Albert charged.

Heinous and Albert looked

Heinous and Albert stopped.

Heinous and Albert stared.

"Huh?"

"What the Hell?"

Raxamis' room was completely dedicated to Secret Agent Clank and Courtney Gears. Posters of the pop star and actor covered almost all the walls. There where shelves which were covered with Agent Clank trinkets. Stacks of comic books, racks of CDs, and cases of DVDs and videos where present. The bed was divided in two; one side was pink and the other was black. The only thing normal was a computer station to the far left, even if the monitor had wobble head makes of characters from the show 'Secret Agent Clank'. A ridiculously large stereo rested on a bedside table, right next to an Agent Clank alarm clock.

And in the center of it all, was Raxamis, dancing to a song sung by Courtney Gears. His back was too Heinous and Albert and his cape lay hanging from a coat hanger. His utility belt was on his bed. The solo was approaching its end and at the exact moment it finished, Raxamis twirled around and faced Heinous.

"!.!.!" he eyes bulged and he ran to the stereo and shut it off. "Uncle Jerry…Jeeves," he simpered as if nothing happened, "what brings you two here?"

"More importantly," Albert folded his arms, still holding the pipe and lantern, "where did you get these items?"

"From the city…….right after you went flying."

Albert raised an eyebrow. "You got all this from the city?"

"Yup. Turns out I'm not the only obsessed fanboy in the galaxy. I found a bunch of stuff dedicated to Secret Agent Clank, Courtney Gears and Captain Qwark."

"All from the city?"

"Uh huh."

"But wasn't the city--no--the planet abandoned before the birth of Secret Agent Clank?"

"It was. But I found some robot who adored them. Seeing that he was on the verge of breakdown, I put him out of his misery by destroying him. Then I took all this stuff, put it in the vehicle and brought it here."

"There's quite a lot of it."

"What?.! A fanboy's gotta have his comforts!"

"More like a stalker!" Heinous called from near a stack of comic books. "You have everything except for a Secret agent Clank toothbrush!"

Raxamis was silent.

Heinous' eyes widened. "No way…"

"The third row from the top behind you," Raxamis pointed.

Heinous turned around and squinted his eyes to see. There it was; a toothbrush with Clank's head on the tip of the handle. Heinous turned around to face Raxamis.

"But you don't even have teeth," he said.

Raxamis shrugged. "So?"

"And what do you use this computer for?" Albert asked gesturing to the computer. "Download Agent Clank movies and Courtney Gears songs?"

"I thought you liked Agent Clank," Heinous remarked.

"Not _that _much."

"I use the computer to write fanfics and stuff. I'll continue writing tomorrow."

Heinous smirked at Raxamis. "You're a Courtney Gears fan, are ya?"

"Look around you, sir," Albert gestured, arms wide.

"Go to bed, Albert," Heinous said coldly.

"Hm?

"I said 'got to bed'."

"Fine, but make sure he turns the music down, or uses headphones."

And he was gone.

Heinous looked back at Raxamis. "So you like Courtney Gears?"

"Do I ever!"

"Come with me."

Raxamis walked forward with a plain face. "Sure."

* * *

In a familiar lab, Heinous removed a sheet which covered a robot. 

Raxamis gasped. "Courtney!.!.!.!" he looked at Heinous. "What happened to her?.!"

"Ratchet happened to her. A year ago, word spread that Courtney had gone missing. I was curious about it myself. So I went to the Obani Draco, a place where Courtney filmed her music videos. I was looking for her encase I could use her to fight. She can fight, you know. There, I also found the pink laser which we will attach to my weapon. I then brought her here, planning to fix her later. Would you like to help me fix her?"

"I'd give up my whole CD collection for it."

"Let's not get specific." Heinous made for the door, "Let's go get the tools I stole before I met you. They're in The Big Room."

The twp robots exited, leaving the 'deceased' Courtney on her own, temporarily.

* * *

Elsewhere aboard the Starship Phoenix… 

Nefarious, Helga and Al stood in the VR deck.

"Ratchet and Clank avays use their weapons," Helga said to Al, "but Nefarious uses hiz body and nothing more! He's almost as good as me."

"Really?" Al scratched his chin.

"Please," Nefarious put up a hand in defense, "there's no need for you to be so hyped about it. These levels are too easy! Think you can get me a hard one?"

"We could, but we need to wait two hours to download anything," Al stated.

"I can't wait that long!" Nefarious bellowed.

Al gulped.

"I need a break from the VG9000 before I take Jeremy on. And when I find the smallest once of hardness, you take it away from me!"

The angry robot pounded the console childishly.

Al gasped. "Nefarious stop. You're gonna--!"

FLASH!

Nefarious and Helga--who had been standing on the teleportation pad--were gone.

Al sweated. "Oh no."

He looked at the screen.

* * *

Nefarious and Helga where in the center of the VR arena. They looked around curiously. 

"So….." Nefarious said, "where are the testbots?"

"_This is terrible!" _Al's voice boomed from above.

"I'll say!" Helga spat. "Zere are no testbots!"

"_Actually," _Al sounded scared_, "there are."_

As if one cue, one of the pods descended. The usual electricity was seen emerging. The pod rose, revealing what looked like a bright green testbot.

"Is that it?.!" Nefarious pointed dramatically.

"_No it isn't."_

More pods came down, producing several testbots. More than usual. Instead of going after Nefarious and Helga, they went towards the green testbot.

"_This is bad."_

"Will you shut up?.?.?." Nefarious gripped his head as if he was experiencing a headache.

Suddenly, all the testbots charged into the green on. They hung onto each other. The pile got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.

Nefarious and Helga found themselves having to tilt their heads up a little.

In front of them, 'stood' the pile, taking shape. Eventually, it had the physical shape of something with arms and legs…..but no head. It took up almost half of the arena.

"_You're in for it now. This level was still being tested. No one's managed to survive against that!"_

"Then get us outta here!"

"_I can't, Nefarious. It's not fully downloaded; you have to beat it if you wanna get out."_

"That's good enough for me."

"Ya!" Helga agreed.

Nefarious jumped up and remained suspended in midair. He rolled into a ball and concentrated.

"AAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!

Nefarious hovered out of the way so the portal he created could fire a large, purple laser.

The laser ate at the ground and slowly advanced towards the fusion.

ZAAAAAAAAAAA--CRRKKKKKKKK!

The giant was split in two.

Plant! Nefarious landed besides Helga. "All done," he smirked.

CRRKKKKKKKKK! The two pieces fused.

"Not done," Nefarious said.

"_You have to destroy that green testbot from earlier. Without it, all the testbots will scatter and things will be easy from there."_

"Okay, Helga. I'll go high and you'll go low."

Helga gave a thumb's up.

They charged/hovered.

POW!

Helga charged through one of the monster's legs.

The golem 'looked' down and prepared to hit her with its 'hand'.

"Eat this, stink head!"

The golem 'looked'.

Nefarious hovered in front, a glowing blue ball in hand. He tossed it.

The monster blocked with its 'arm'.

BLAAAAM!.!.!.!.!.!

The golem's entire 'arm' was shattered into several 'pieces'………….which reformed.

"DAMMIT!" Nefarious charged.

"HA!" PUNCH! "YAAGH!" KICK! HiYAAAAAHH!" SOCK!

Using her incredibly obese body, Helga laid waste to the 'leg' while Nefarious kept the golem distracted.

Plant. The robot landed and charged something up--

WOOOOOSH!

A hologram of Nefarious leapt at the speed of sound.

POW!

It tore a hole through one of the 'feet'………which regenerated.

"He's gotta be in there somewhere," Nefarious said to himself.

"_Try the chest, guys. The chest!"_

Nefarious had an idea. He started running towards Helga's area.

The fitness trainer was still attacking the same place.

The golem made a 'fist'. The 'fist flew.

FWOOOOOOSH--!

Scoop.

--POW!.!.!.!.!.!

The monster hit the floor where Helga was a second ago. Instead, Nefarious had her by the arm while hovering a few feet in the virtual air.

"Vhat are you--?.!"

Before Helga could finish, Nefarious spun both of them around……………faster…….faster…fasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfaster-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f--!

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Helga flew like a rocket straight into the golem--

POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--and fell out the other side into the electric field where her butt was singed.

Nefarious didn't care, because he could see the green testbot. He produced a blue ball and flew head-on.

The hole was closing fast; Nefarious had to be quick.

Luckily, he managed to pace the blue ball inside and clear out right before--

BLAAAM! **_CRRKKKKKK!.!.!.!_**

The green testbot--along with other testbots which where too close--was destroyed instantly and the golem crumbled.

"Alright!" Nefarious smiled proudly. "We did it!"

Helga rubbed he singed rear and glared at him.

"_Don't celebrate too soon! You still have the testbots to destroy before you're out."_

The surviving testbots were already rising. Bomb Gloves, Wallopers and Pyrociters were equipped.

"I can do that."

"Und me too."

Nefarious landed--

CRASH!

--and broke two testbots.

He reached an arm out, grabbed a testbot by the head and squeezed it to pieces. CRUNCH!

"HUAH!"

SLAM!

Helga did a body slam on five testbots.

One came at her with a Pyrociter.

FWOOOOOMB!

Helga got up, jumped forward, snatched the Pyrociter and used it as a baseball bat.

SMACK!

The testbot was broken in two.

BLAAAAM! BLAAAM! BLAAAM!

Nefarious threw three blue balls, destroying testbots on impact and even more testbots by shockwave.

PUNCH!

"Agh!"

Nefarious feel forward from the blow sent to him by a testbot wielding a Walloper.

Nefarious grunted, equipped a ray gun from out of nowhere and shot at the robot.

ZAAAAAP!

The robot was destroyed.

Nefarious stood up and prepared to attack incoming, Bomb Glove wielding testbots.

WHAP!

Helga kicked a testbot.

It teetered back into a fellow testbot.

Stomp-Stomp-Stomp-STOMP! CRASH!

Helga charged into both of them.

BOOM!

The bomb missed.

Nefarious landed behind the testbot, grabbed it and hurled randomly.

THWACH!

Helga threw a severed head into a testbot.

She was unaware of an advancing testbot, coming from behind…armed with a Bomb Glove--

CRASH!

A flying testbot came and crashed into it, breaking both of them upon contact.

Helga looked around after destroying a testbot with a bear hug. She saw the broken robots.

"……"

She shrugged it off and back-punched a testbot. TWAP!

Nefarious jumped up, hovered, charged, curled and moved out of the way for--

**PFFTOOOOM!**

**PFFFHTTOOOOOOOM!**

**PFFFFFFFFFT!**

**PH-PH-PH-PHFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Several missiles flew out of a portal and headed for the arena.

Helga saw it and prepared to dodge.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOOOM-BOOM-B-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Helga managed to dodge every missile by running left and right.

Only one testbot remained.

Nefarious and Helga looked at each other.

"………."

"………"

They smirked.

Helga held a hand up.

SWOOOOOSH-GRIP-YANK!.!.!

Nefarious flew down, grabbed her and pulled her up.

He spun both of them around……………faster…….faster…fasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfaster-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f--!

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Helga flew straight at the last testbot.

CRASH!.!.!.!

All the testbots were defeated.

Nefarious landed.

He and Helga looked at each other.

"…"

"…"

They smiled and gave each other a thumb's up.

"_Great work, you two! Now you can get outta there!"_

FLASH!

* * *

FLASH! 

Nefarious and Helga where back in the VR deck.

"Great work!" Al cheered. "Looks like Ratchet isn't the only badass here, eh?"

Helga simpered. "Ya."

"Whatever," Nefarious made to leave. "I'm gonna go play Empire Hearts." He was gone.

"Vot's 'iz problem?"

"Nothing, Helga. He just needs some more time here. He'll get to like us sooner or later."

The two left the room and went their separate ways.

* * *

Aboard Heinous' base… 

Heinous and Raxamis toiled on Courtney in the lab.

Both had determined looks on their faces.

They worked silently.

* * *

There you go. I had this chapter planned for quite a while. It was nice to finally see it posted on the Net. 

Don't worry……they'll be at Bogon soon. But the next update will take a while.


	30. Asking for help

Disclaimers: BUUUUUUUUUUUURRRP!... Excuse me.

A reviewer asked for more action. All I have to say to that is: Read this. It'll be funny and action-packed.

Great news, everyone! Heinous will not tell constructobots to build anything anymore! Even I was getting annoyed at it.

I dedicate this chapter to Gruntzilla for one of his ideas. Which one is it, you ask? Read to find out.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty: Asking for help**

_D-Ding!_

Two familiar robots walked into a convenience store.

The store clerk looked up from the counter where he was reading a magazine. He readjusted his glasses.

"Hi. Um, do have any maps for this galaxy?" a tall, pointy-headed robot with a scratch on his torso greeted and asked. He held out a hand for the short robot to give him a wallet……which he did. He went on, "We're from another galaxy, and we don't know our way around very well."

The store clerk smiled. "You bet, Mister! We've got galactic maps, 3D maps, foldouts, cutouts…" as he listed, he pulled out an item from under the counter and pilled them on top of each other, "…maps to the stars, and our homes."

"Hm," the tall robot rubbed his chin, "they could be very helpful. How much for this one?" he pointed at the product at the top of the stack.

"One Bolt," the clerk replied with out inspecting the price tag.

"Is this one Bolt in your galaxy?" the robot held his palm out with a single bolt.

"Yes, it is."

"Okay then," the robot smiled. "You have the same currency as us. I'll take the lot!"

"Twelve Bolts, please."

"There you go," twelve bolts were placed on the countertop.

"Thanks, and have a nice day."

"We will. Albert, carry them will you?"

"Right away, sir--"

"Would you like a bag?" the clerk asked.

"No thanks, we're all for the environment and stuff."

The short robot scooped all the items up. The two robots turned to leave.

_D-Ding!

* * *

_

A single door opened. From deep space, Heinous' blue ship passed through the smoke-like shield and landed in The Big Room. 

Sandy was waiting silently, while Raxamis sat cross-legged, reading something on a laptop.

The ship touched down. Heinous and Albert exited. And--no--there weren't any troopers.

"It's about time!" Raxamis exclaimed. "I've been studying my ass off for hours!"

"Rar r-rawr rarrr raaaar."

Heinous translated. "Sandy says that it's only been ten minutes."

"Well, it feels like fifteen!" Raxamis pouted.

"Please, Raxamis. We're in a new galaxy. We have no idea of their ways here."

"Sir, the store clerk behaved like any other in Solana," Albert said.

"Err… He was an exception."

"If you say so, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be distributing these in your room." Albert walked to the elevator.

"Okay. Raxamis, give me the phonebook I bought earlier," Heinous said.

"What for?" Raxamis raised an eyebrow.

"So I can search for someone who can protect us."

"From what?"

"Ratchet, Clank and--no doubt--Vince."

"What?.! That makes no sense, dude. How would they know that we're here?"

"Simple, really," Heinous said as he smiled proudly. "Ratchet and Clank came here two years ago. They made friends here too. There's no doubt that raritanium is as useful here as it is……or _was _back in Solana. When we start steeling it, Ratchet and Clank will be called for help just like they were last time. They'll come here and try to crew us over. So I'll be getting help whether you like it or not."

"But it'll take them weeks to get here! By then, we'd have finished."

"I'm not taking any chances. And who knows? The technology here is more advanced than that in Solana. Ratchet and Clank could get here faster than we did."

Raxamis looked defeated. "You win."

"Oh not yet, Raxamis. Not by a long shot. Sandy, hand me a phone please."

Sandy's mouth opened a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Heinous reached a hand in and pulled out a phone with a cord.

"Raxamis, could you hand me the phone book?"

"Sure thing, Uncle," Raxamis held a big, thick, yellow book in his hands.

Heinous sat cross-legged. He took the book from Raxamis and laid it down in front of him. He flicked through the pages with his free hand.

Eventually, he found something.

"I found something!"

"What is it?" Raxamis asked.

"An organization that offers protection. Ooh, they even have a special offer!"

Heinous dialed the number.

"…"

"…."

"….it's ringing."

After three rings, someone picked up. This someone had a deep, raspy voice.

"_Thugs-4-Less. Pay for six hits, and the seventh is free."

* * *

_

"Good news," Sasha said to the Q-Force, "the coordinates from Ratchet's ship have been downloaded into the Phoenix's mainframe. And with the information supplied by Clank about the people of the galaxy's ways, we should know how to handle things here." 

"What about me?" Qwark looked offended.

Sasha sighed. "And thanks to Captain Qwark, all Crotchetizers we by have a twenty percent discount."

Qwark smiled proudly.

Ratchet grimaced.

Sasha swiveled around to face the lombax. "Ratchet, is there anyone here who could be of help to us? Someone who knows about the galaxy more than all of us?"

Ratchet thought for a moment. "Well there is someone who knows people in high places."

"Where does he live?"

Ratchet was about to speak when he realized something. _''He'?' _he thought. _'Okay, Ratchet. Think. Sasha and you are no longer together. We're 'friends'. But still…Sasha--despite her professionalism and all--can be jealous some times. But what the Hell did I have to worry about? I mean…the other one and I have never been……close. It's was more of a brother-sister thing. Yeah. So I'll just say it. No ifs ands or buts about it! I'll say 'she'. I'll say it again and again if I have to.'_

Ratchet gulped. He said, "She lives on Planet Grelbin. It's a very cold planet. This friend of mine works at Megacorp. She's good friends with the boss. And the boss is good friends with me. So…….yeah. Take us to Grelbin Orbit, and Clank and I will take it from there."

"…….um, okay. We'll take you there," Sasha didn't seem the least bit angry, much to Ratchet's relief.

The Phoenix Captain barked an order at some rangers. They saluted and ran to their control stations.

Ratchet felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Qwark.

The costumed hero smirked. "Were you referring to that tall lombax from the Protopet Factory?"

Ratchet sweated. "Maybe…"

"Got two girls now, eh? Heh heh."

Ratchet frowned. "Cut it out, Qwark."

"You're buuuuuuuushhhhhing."

"Stop it!" a red-faced Ratchet exclaimed loud enough for Qwark to hear, but soft enough for Sasha not to.

"Whatever," Qwark had an irremovable grin as he walked away.

"……," Ratchet looked to his right.

A ranger was staring at him.

"It's obviously not true," Ratchet said as casually as he could.

The ranger kept staring.

"Yeah, well you try being in my shoes and see how you like it.

The ranger didn't stop staring.

"Oh, go get blown up by a tyhrranoid!" Ratchet huffed and walked away.

……………………

Al came by and noticed the still-standing ranger.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why's this ranger switched off?"

He went to the robot's back and pressed the hidden switch.

The ranger switched on and walked away.

* * *

On a planet with a red sky, a blue ship landed in a parking lot full of ships that were all identical. 

Heinous, Albert, Raxamis and Sandy walked out. Sandy was walking this time.

"I don't understand why they asked you to meet them in person," Albert said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Heinous remarked. "Thugs-4-Less has probably dealt with Ratchet and Clank before. The Leader probably hates them so much, that he'll take any excuse to come after them without it being illegal. He probable wants to thank us for it."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah. Either that, or that's what they always do."

"All I know is that this had better be worth it!" Raxamis grumbled. "I'm one hour overdue for my fanfic."

"You're still writing that thing? I already finished mine."

"I started a new one. Mallet and Clonk. Dr. Horrible is back. Man, I can't believe no one thought about it!"

"Rarrrr rawwwr."

"Sandy says you should get a life."

"And I say Sandy should get some frikkin' arms!"

"Sir, we're here."

The four robots stood at a big door. Guarding it were two brutes.

One of them stepped forward. "Can we help you?"

Heinous spoke. "Hello, we're here to see the Thug Leader."

"He doesn't make appointments."

"No, you see he asked us to meet him here. This is Thugs-4-Less, isn't it?"

"Are youz…….Dr. Heinous?"

"Yes, that's who I am."

Without smiling, the brute said, "Sorry 'bout that--" he stepped aside "--you're expected. Word has it that you wants protection against Ratchet 'n Clank."

"Yeah. Although they might not come, I'd like to feel safe when I'm working."

Heinous felt a little twitchy for some reason.

"Probably not from Ratchet and Clank."

The brute cocked an eyebrow. "Who?"

FLASH!

* * *

_FLASH!_

"_Clam yourself," Heinous pants._

_For some reason, he can see his own breath._

"_**Let me go! NOW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

_FLASH!

* * *

_

FLASH! 

"Err. No one. My mistake. Let's go, guys."

"I'll escort you to the Leader's office," the second thug finally spoke. "After all, you have no idea where to go, do you?"

"No...I don't. Ahem. Thank you."

The four robots were escorted inside.

* * *

The inside of the base was rather strange. Some places would be empty while others would be exploding with activity. Brutes, henchmen, elites, second class brutes……any kind of thug would walk past the four robots and brute without a second glance. Some were even laughing about something like they were friends. Thugs weren't the only things present; there were robots, hundreds of them. Not to mention war machines. Close combat training, weapons, obstacle courses, stealth, and vending machines. 

Heinous was perplexed at the technology.

Albert was entranced by how professional everyone looked.

Sandy was intrigued at all the small robots.

Raxamis was annoyed at how many organics there where. It was in his programming to destroy them. And letting them pass by was just……bad.

"Did you guys just build this place?" Heinous asked the brute.

"No. Megacorp robots built it," the brute said. "They're the fastest builders in the galaxy. One thing youz should know is that this base used to be smaller. But after Ratchet and Clank attacked, and our Leader returned, we didn't wanna take any chances."

"Wow. Guess you really aren't a bunch of brainless thoogs," Raxamis said.

_SCREEEEEEEEECH!_

The brute stopped, resulting in the whole group stopping. And to make matters worse, nearby thugs stared angrily.

Albert gulped.

Heinous froze.

The brute turned around slowly. He slowly skirted the line so he could face Raxamis. The brute didn't tower over him; they were more or less the same height.

The brute spoke, "What did you say?"

Raxamis didn't hesitate. "That you really weren't a bunch of brainless thoogs."

"Did you think we were brainless?"

"Yes, but I guess I was wrong. Hehe."

"….."

"You're….um, awesome."

All the thugs who were staring continued with what they were doing as if nothing happened. The brute huffed and sauntered to the front of the line.

"Raaaar."

"Sandy says that you're an--"

"Aw, shut up!"

The group walked for a few more minutes until it came to a stop in front of a door which looked like any other automatic double-door in the base. It did--however--have a logo on it which was indescribable.

"This is it," the brute said. "You'll find another door behind this one. Knock and wait for the Leader's order." He started walking away without another word.

"Not very social, are they?" Albert remarked.

"Why the Hell are we getting help from a bunch of squishies?.?.?" Raxamis asked. "I say we kill every last one of them in the base and use their technology to--"

"Raxamis, please. Don't you understand that my cause is still there," Heinous explained. "Yes, I'm out to destroy all organic life. But not in Bogon!"

Albert raised an eyebrow.

Heinous went on, "Ruling ONE galaxy of robots is hard enough! I don't want Bogon, but that doesn't mean we have to like them."

"Rarrrrrr rawwwr."

"What did she say?" Raxamis asked.

"She said that we should stop wasting time and get this over with," Heinous translated. "I agree. Come on. We'll discus this later."

"Alright."

"Whatevah."

The doors slid open as expected, revealing a long hallway. None of the lights flickered, no words were said…no breaths were taken…not like they could be.

Soon, the group came across a door.

"…."

"……"

"…."

"………..," Heinous knocked.

"_Who's 'ere?"_ a deep, raspy voice called.

"Dr. Heinous, remember? We discussed protection over the Phone."

"_Ah…yes. 'Bout time you got 'ere. Come in."_

The door slid up and the robots walked in.

It was a typical office; plush carpets and chairs, a long table for meetings, a desk a few feet away from the table with stairs leading to it, pictures of Thugs-4-Less commercialism on the walls and--of course--a swivel chair.

And--exactly as Raxamis suspected--the chair's back was facing the group.

"Take a seat," the man behind the chair said, gesturing to all the chairs around the table.

They all sat closest to the main chair, but didn't take the vacant seat which was obviously for the Leader. Sandy sat on the table. To her right was Heinous at the edge. To his right was the Leader's desk. Raxamis sat in front of Heinous and Albert sat to Raxamis' right.

Silence.

Heinous was about to say something--

"Do you know why I called you here?" the Leader asked.

"Because we did something wrong?" Raxamis asked stupidly.

"The only ones who have done something wrong are Ratchet and Clank," the Leader said.

"What happened?" Heinous asked.

"'Bout two years ago, Ratchet and Clank attacked our base. Several thugs were killed along with thousands of Bolts worth in property damage. But he didn't kill at our base only. Oh no no no no. Some of my recruits were employed by this thief, yeah. Ratchet and Clank killed them. Megacorp hired us to protect their CEO Mr. Fizzwidget. Ratchet and Clank beat us again. That lombax should have 'is genitalia hung from a flagpole for all to point and laugh, while Clank should get turned into a toaster."

"How…….interesting…" Heinous said nervously.

"What's a genitalia?" Raxamis asked Albert in a whisper.

"Err, I don't know. Sorry!" Albert whispered back quickly.

"I was one of the thugs who tried to stop those two at the base. To be honest, Ratchet and Clank managed to beat me three times. One the third time, I died."

"You mean you're a cyborg or something?"

"No. What I mean is that the old Thugs-4-Less Leader is gone. In other words, that changed me for life."

"What happened?" Albert asked.

"Before my robot exploded, I hit the ejector button. I had escaped the explosion, but I was going off-coarse. I found myself on a deserted island with no way out. A little piece of me died on that island. But when I got back, my first decision was to rebuild Thugs-4-Less. Make it bigger 'n better. Then we hoped that someone would ask us to assassinate him. And you're that one."

"Boy, if I had a Bolt for every time someone said that…" Raxamis' voice lingered as he mused.

The Leader finally swiveled around. His purple, lizard-like face was deadpan. His solid red eyed eyes were emotionless. The scar which went through his left eye was straight and irremovable. He was clad in thug uniform. His feet were bare and his hands were coated in fingerless gloves. His left eye twitched.

Everyone stared.

He limped towards the table.

"You know how I got this?" the Leader pointed at his twitchy left eye.

Everyone shook their head in unison.

"Neither do I. I would have settled for the just scar, but my eye started twitching. It just won't stop twitching. It happened after the crash. I don't remember, 'cause I was out of commission for a few hours. And all this because of Ratchet and Clank. Your hiring us has given a chance to help you as much as it's gonna help us get rid of a most hated enemy."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"So…are you in or not?"

"Of course," Heinous said with a smirk.

"Good, because I've already sent someone out to assassinate Ratchet and Clank."

Heinous blinked confusingly. "What do you mean? Ratchet doesn't know we're in Bogon yet. I'm only hiring your thugs, cuz I wanna feel safe after it's revealed that this galaxy's running out of raritanium. Ratchet won't make an appearance just yet."

"We know. But it's good to think ahead."

"Well, I guess you're right. Tell us about this assassin."

"Does he have cool weapons?" Raxamis beamed.

"This assassin's name is 'Agent J'. He's killed many times before," the Leader explained. "He's only hired for really big missions. He's equipped with the latest and oldest weapons on from Megacorp. The list just goes on and on."

"Sound like he's perfect for the job," Heinous commented.

The Leader went on as if only he was speaking, "You probably know this, but Ratchet and Clank know someone in this galaxy. This someone's has helped them many times before. She used to be the thief I told you about earlier. She also works at Megacorp and--along with Ratchet and Clank--has saved Mr. Fizzwidget from Captain Qwark."

"Who's Mr. Fizzwidget? What do you mean by 'saved from Captain Qwark'?"

"Mr. Fizzwidget is the founder of Megacorp. There was this experiment. A very dangerous experiment. It was stolen by the thief. Fizzwidget called Ratchet and Clank for help. The thief employed us to protect her by keeping Ratchet and Clank away. She was trying to destroy the experiment. However, Ratchet and Clank got in the way and handed the experiment over to Fizzwidget. The old man decided to sell it as a Megacorp product by making copies of it and giving them away as pets to consumers while keeping the original locked up in a factory. The thief teamed up with Ratchet and Clank to get the experiment back. Then Fizzwidget was revealed to be Qwark in disguise. He knew that the experiment was dangerous. His plan was to put everyone in danger and then save them so they'll think he's a hero. The real Fizzwidget's location during all of this was unknown, but he was found and very grateful for it."

"Couldn't have thought of it better myself," Raxamis mused.

"What about this assassin?" Albert asked.

"Agent J's been sent to Planet Grelbin. That's where the ex-thief lives. And that's where Ratchet and Clank will go for help first. He knows what they look like and is temporarily taking up residence there as well."

"Hey, I have a question," Raxamis raised his hand. "What's the name of the ex-thief?"

"Unfortunately, I don't remember. But I know what she looked like."

"What is she?" Heinous asked.

"A lombax."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" Raxamis made a schoolgirl face. "Ratchet's got a girlfriend. Ratchet's got a girlfriend--"

"Albert's got a headache," Albert chanted mockingly as he palmed his forehead.

"Actually, Raxamis," Heinous began, "Ratchet was with Sasha, but they broke up."

Raxamis blinked, "Oh."

A beat.

"Ratchet's got two girlfriends. Ratchet's got two girlfriends. Ratchet's go--"

"Any more questions?" the Leader asked patiently.

"Nope."

"No."

"Nuh uh."

"Rrrar."

"She said no."

"Good. Now I understand you're looking for raritanium," the thug Leader changed the subject. "We can help you out in that one too."

Heinous leaned his head to the side. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

In Tundor Wastes, a green shuttle with the Qwark logo touched down on a landing pad. Out from the back, Ratchet--clad in Duroplate Armor--Clank and Lawrence walked out. 

"Just wait a few minutes, Skidd," Clank called back. "We will be back shortly."

"_You got it, dude!" _Skidd's voice came from inside. The door closed.

The group began walking the short bridge.

"I can't believe Qwark talked me into using his shuttle," Ratchet grumbled.

"Your ship is too small," Lawrence simply said.

"Why are you even here?" Ratchet asked.

"Master Nefarious' gaming was becoming quite irritating, so I thought I'd come along and meet this friend of yours."

"Sounds reasonable," Ratchet said as he scrolled through his watch. "Ah here it is."

Cl-Clack!

Ratchet grinned as his R.I.N.O. II materialized electronically in his hands.

* * *

Somewhere on the roof of the mineshaft… 

Someone perched, binoculars in hand.

His lizard-like, green skin showed that he was from Snivelak. The fact that he was clad in the uniform of a thug showed that he was a Thugs-4-Less recruit.

"Blimey, look at that," Agent J said in an Australian accent, "seem they took less time than I thought." He put the binoculars down. "No matter, it'll be quick, I can collect me money and be known as a Thugs-4-Less hero. Hell yes!"

He searched in his storage watch for a weapon.

* * *

The group passed by the circle. The mystic sat in his chair, legs folded into a lotus position, fingers touching, and eyes closed. 

He seemed to know of a presence other than himself, so he opened one orange eye.

"Greetings, young ones," he said, smiling a jagged tooth smile. This forced the group to stop.

"Err…hi there," Ratchet was at loss of words.

"Would you happen to be traveling the snow today?" the mystic asked with both eyes open.

"Yes, we are," Clank responded.

"Be careful," the mystic's eyes frowned a little. "I am sensing a great evil coming here. You must be cautious; this evil is remarkably powerful."

"What would that 'evil' be?" Ratchet asked, eyebrow cocked.

"I dare not speak of it."

"Not sweat," Ratchet pointed at his big gun with his free hand, "I've dealt with evil before."

"I'm afraid your weapons won't stop it," the mystic pointed. "I'm the only one who can stop it…and yet it always comes back again some time later!"

"Don't think I can stop it?" Ratchet smirked. "We'll see. Come on, Clank, Lawrence." He started walking away.

"It was nice meeting you," Clank said and followed Ratchet.

Lawrence bowed silently and followed.

The mystic sighed. "These young ones are so quick these days."

He resumed meditating.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

"There we go," Agent J said as a Vaporizer electronically materialized in his hands.

He flattened himself, being protected from the cold snow by his armor. He crawled to the edge of the roof…on an extended piece of ice, and took aim. The back of Ratchet's helmet was visible. The assassin smirked.

"Say 'cheese', you mangy marsupial."

His finger tightened around the trigger--

CRACK!

The assassin blinked and gasped.

The ice was collapsing under him.

He gulped.

C-C-CRA-ACK!

The ice collapsed completely.

Agent J's eyes widened as he fell.

WHUMP!

He didn't have time to scream as he fell the short distance. At the moment he had his head in the snow. He released the Vaporizer--which was still in his hand after he fell--and pushed.

TWOP!

He freed his head fro the snow.

"Hm?" the mystic noticed the sudden noise and looked towards the mine shaft.

A snowman stood near a hole.

The mystic shrugged and turned around to continue meditating.

"……….whew," the snowman sighed in relief and pressed a button at the bottom of its torso.

Suddenly, the snowman was replaced with Agent J, wearing a white belt.

The assassin smirked as he silently pulled the belt off. "Megacorp's Snow-Guise," he put the gadget away in his watch. "Never fails unless you're on Planet Tabora."

He turned around, bent down and picked up the Vaporizer he was covering.

He took aim again………..but lowered the weapon, because of the hills blocking his view.

"I'll have to do this at close range," he replaced the Vaporizer with an HK22 Gun. "This'll get 'em."

He started walking as quietly as possible. Soon enough he was catching up with the group. However, his excitement triggered a noise.

Lawrence made to turn around.

Agent J gasped. He saw a hole. He jumped into it.

Lawrence turned around completely and had seen nothing.

"……….."

He continued walking.

* * *

In the dark hole, Agent J panted as he put his weapon away. 

"Blimey! Almost saw me, he did. I should be more--"

He stopped as he felt something.

"What in the Blue Hell? It's soft and fury and warm and…..it's breathing."

He lit a match and looked.

A Y.E.T.I. looked back, red eyes glaring.

Agent J gulped. "Struth."

The Y.E.T.I. blew out the match.

….

…

…

POW! "AAAAGH!" WHAP! "DAAAAH!" SLAP! "OWIE!"

* * *

WHOOOOOOOSH! 

A bruised and bleeding Agent J was thrown out of the hole with incredible strength.

His screams became harder to hear as he fell towards the horizon.

"Did you hear something?" Ratchet asked as he stopped.

"I did not," Clank said.

"Neither did I," Lawrence said.

"Why aren't those pain-in-the-ass monsters coming out to eat us?"

"My scanners say it is their hibernation," Clank said.

"They could have had it when we where here. They were even more annoying than those serpent things."

"Are you referring to the leviathans?"

"Yeah….those. Let's keep moving. We just need to go up that ramp," Ratchet pointed to a ramp behind a tower of ice.

* * *

Konk-Konk-Konk. 

Ratchet knocked on a familiar dome-shaped house's door.

"…."

"…."

"………I don't believe anyone's home," Lawrence said.

"Just wait a bit, Lawrence," Ratchet turned his head around to look at the butler.

"Ratchet, look!" Clank pointed excitedly.

The door opened slightly and a fury head appeared to look.

"Hi," Ratchet smiled helplessly and waved.

"Ratchet?.!" Angela's eyes widened. "Clank?.!"

"Look, I know it's shocking," Ratchet said, "but just give us some time to explain."

"Sure," Angela stepped out all the way. She was clad in the same attire as usual. "It's just that," she went on, "this is such a shock. You just leave Bogon and come back a year later. Don't expect everything to be normal."

"Please don't be mad at me--"

"'Mad'?" Angela chuckled a little. "Come in and make yourselfers comfortable." She noticed Lawrence, "Who's he?"

"Lawrence, madam," Lawrence bowed, "at your service." He walked into the house.

"He's helping us out," Ratchet said as he walked in. "We'll explain everything."

"Greetings, Angela," Clank said as he looked up…up...up…up to look Angela in the eye, "it is nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too," Angela smiled a little.

The little robot trotted in after the others.

Angela was alone.

"Just like old times," she mused.

The lombax walked into her home and shut the door.

* * *

The interior of Angela's home was much bigger than it looked on the outside. It was a four-roomed dome; bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. At the moment, everyone was in the living room. 

Ratchet removed his helmet and sat on one end of the sofa while Angela sat on the other. Clank sat alone on an armchair which was too big for him. Lawrence decided to stand near Clank's sitting spot.

Angela spoke first. "I knew you'd come here. I just didn't think it'd be so soon."

Ratchet leaned his head to side. "How?"

"News has come to Bogon that you were coming here to track down an evil robotic scientist, named Dr. Heinous. So, I figured you'd come here to ask me for help, right?"

"Right," Ratchet said. He looked up. "So, you're not mad at Clank and I, are you?"

"Of course not!" Angela couldn't help but smirk. "You and Clank left the galaxy in such a hurry, because yours was in danger of Dr. Nefarious. And to be more specific, you went there to save your home planet. How could I be mad at you? Oh, that reminds me…how's your girlfriend?"

Ratchet did a double-take. "Huh?"

"You know," Angela pressed, "that person I saw you with at Clank's movie. I think her name was…… Sasha? Yeah, Sasha. How is she?"

His ears fell. "She's fine."

Angela noticed Ratchet's sorrow. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No... It's just that…--you tell her, Clank."

Angela looked at Clank.

The robot's eyes shaped themselves to look sad. "Ratchet and Sasha have broken up."

Angela cupped her mouth. "S-Sorry! I didn't know. I don't watch all the news, what with work and all."

"It's okay, we're good," Ratchet showed a weak smile. He changed the subject quite quickly. "So…would you like to help us out? We could use your knowledge of the galaxy…as well as your advice when we're in the field. I asked for the Phoenix to orbit the planet so we could visit you and…stuff."

"Ratchet, I'd love to help you out. Mr. Fizzwidget says that I should take some time off. And since we've saved him before, he could help us too."

Ratchet stood up, "Okay then. Let's go."

"I'll be right there," Angela stood up too. "I just need to get some things. Wait a minute." She ran to her bedroom.

"Ratchet, are you sure this is a good idea?" Clank asked.

Ratchet looked at Clank as if he was meeting him for the first time. "I KNOW it is a good idea, Clank. Why?"

"It seems troublesome to put another life in danger."

"Please, Clank. She probably won't even have to fight--"

"I'm ready!"

Everyone turned their heads to look.

Angela stood in the same clothes. He leaned against the glider she used on Planet Siberius. In her other hand was a small gun. Around her waist was a belt with many small spheres.

Ratchet corrected himself. "Then again…"

"What?" Angela grinned helplessly. "You're not the only fighter. Remember the frozen base?"

"Yeah…I remember."

"……"

"Um, let's go. There's a shuttle waiting for you at the landing pad."

Angela smirked. "Let's."

* * *

Two lombaxes and two robots walked through the snow in the centre of the crater. 

Ratchet didn't have his R.I.N.O. II., on account of the Y.E.T.I.'s hibernation.

_RUMMMMMBLE!_

The ground shook.

"Whoah!" Ratchet fell on his rear. "What was that?"

Angela kept her footing. She looked scared. "We have to move."

Ratchet stood up. "Why?"

"NOW!"

The sudden outburst caused Ratchet to fall backwards again.

**RUMMMMMMMMBLE!**

"Angela, what is going on?" Clank asked.

"No time to explain! We must move!"

Ratchet stood up again.

"Flee! Run! Skater!" an old voice called.

Everyone looked.

The mystic came running over a hill. He arrived to the group, panting.

"We must leave this place now!" the calm mystic was gone.

**RUMMMMMMMBLE!**

"Why? What's going--?"

Ratchet's question was cut short as--

CRRRRK!

A hill of snow emerged from bellow a few yards away, blocking the mystic's circle from view.

The mystic gulped. "This is not good."

CRRRRK! CRRR-CRRKKKK! CRRKKKKK!

Four more hills rose, blocking the entire path.

CRRRRK! CRKKKKKK! CCCCCCCCCCRK! **CRRRRRKKKK!.!.!.!.!**

Several more hills of snow emerged, blocking all the ramps.

_**RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!**_

The ground shook even more.

Angela and the mystic had horrified looks on their faces.

Clank and Lawrence were looking in all directions for a way out.

Ratchet was losing his patience. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?.!"

"Ratchet, there's this experiment," Angela explained. "The Y.E.T.I.s you see are failed experiments. This one is an even bigger failed experiment."

"I don't see the problem," Ratchet said. "I can--"

_**RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!**_

"--deal with it with my weapons."

"Weapons don't work on it!" the mystic yelled. "I'm the only one who can get rid of it. I've done it many times before."

"Well, do it!"

_**RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!**_

"I can't; it takes time."

"Then how did you manage to do it many times before?"

"I was in the protectiveness of my circle. It's filled with good chi to keep those monsters out!"

(Author's Note: In the game, that's not true)

"Then start doing what you do!"

"I shall, but when I'm concentrating, I must not be stopped. You'll have to distract that monster while I meditate."

"What monster?.!" Ratchet fumed. "I don't see any--!"

_**RRRUUUUMMMMMBBBLLLLLE!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

_**WHOOOOOOSH!**_

"**RRRAAAAUGH!"**

On the side of the crater…near the hills of snow blocking the way out, a monster emerged.

Ratchet's ears fell. "--………………….monster."

It was a giant Y.E.T.I., its legs submerged in an icy pool around its body.

Ratchet found that only he was there. Everyone else was running to the other side of the newly made battle field.

"Wait for me!" Ratchet shouted and ran quick enough to dodge an incoming blow from the ice monster's paw.

CRASH!

The paw made a crater where Ratchet was a second ago.

"**RRRAAAAAAAAAAGH!" **the monster growled.

Ratchet caught up with everyone on the other side.

"I am going to start," the mystic said as he sat down in a lotus possession. "Do not attempt stopping me. And keep the minions away from me, please."

Ratchet's eyes widened. "'Minions'?"

As if on cue, a heavily panting Y.E.T.I. came running.

CL-CLACK!

Ratchet equipped the R.I.N.O. II and--

BLAM!

The Y.E.T.I. fell down in a pool of its own blood.

"I thought you said they were in hibernation!"

"The mystic says that it's telepathically linked to Y.E.T.I.s and leviathans. It can control them"

"Okay, here's the plan," Ratchet said to the group. "Clank, you and I will distract that mutant freak. Angela, keep the minions away from him--" he pointed at the mystic. "Start meditating. And Lawrence…"

"…."

"…."

"…."

"…."

"………take out some popcorn."

B-BOW! Ratchet equipped his Megarocket Cannon.

Clank jumped and landed on Ratchet's back in Thruster mode.

The mystic's fingers touched as he started levitating in midair while chanting words in some other language. His eyes were closed.

Angela took to the air on her glider and readied her gun.

Lawrence ran for cover.

"**RRRRRAAAAOOOR!" **the ice monster roared.

FWOOOOOOSH!

Ratchet zipped forward, using his Charge Boots.

CRA-ACK!

He saw a crack coming ahead. He didn't care.

He charged over it.

FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FWOOOOSH!

Six Y.E.T.I.s jumped out of the crack and ran towards the mystic.

Angela saw it from above. She charged her gun.

Whreeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

SPLORCH!

A Y.E.T.I. was split in two.

Angela would have felt bad………if these creatures were natural.

Th-Thump.

Funnily enough, the two pieces of the snow beast fell opposite ways and tripped two Y.E.T.I.s.

Angela pulled out one of the metallic balls from her utility belt and threw it.

POP! FWOOOOOOOOOMB!

The ball popped, releasing a ring of fire in every direction.

"AAAAAAUGH!" the Y.E.T.I.s melted, some of them screaming.

The red wave traveled under the levitating mystic.

Angela saw more Y.E.T.I.s coming.

Whreeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

A head exploded.

BOOM!

A missile crashed into a Y.E.T.I., killing it instantly.

The main monster was wide open.

Ratchet grinned and equipped his Megaturret Gun.

WIIYOO!

Ratchet threw ball after ball.

Turrets emerged and started firing at the monster.

BOOOOM! BO-OOOOOOMM! BO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-OOOOM!

The missiles hit their target, and soon, the turrets exploded.

"**RRRRRRAAAAAAAAGH!" **the beast roared in pain.

It opened its mouth, charged and--

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet had to do ten back-flips to avoid the ice blast.

Then he heard panting.

"Ratchet! Look out!"

"I see them, Clank."

Ratchet had an idea. He equipped his HK22 Gun and fired some homing bombs at the giant freak.

They hummed, opened up and exploded on the monster's nose.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

"**RRRRRRRAAAAAAAARGH!" **it raised a paw.

Ratchet ran to the minions.

The paw flew.

Ratchet ran up to and jumped over three Y.E.T.I.s. They dumbly looked.

**SPLAT!**

The giant Y.E.T.I.'s paw was stained with blood after squashing its own minions.

Ratchet equipped his Decoy Glove and threw countless amounts of balloon Ratchets. This would keep the giant freak busy for a while.

More Y.E.T.I.s were coming at the rear.

"RRAUGH!" Ratchet used his wrench and hit a Y.E.T.I. in the gut.

WHAP!

The beast teetered back. Ratchet equipped his Pyrociter and flamed incoming Y.E.T.I.s.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOB!

Ratchet smiled.

THWAP!

He was punched in the back of the head. He went forward and was heading for another Y.E.T.I.

He frowned. "Hi-YAHHH!"

SPLORCH!

The Y.E.T.I. was skewered with the wrench. It coughed up blood and fell over, dead.

Ratchet grunted, equipped his Mini-Nuke and fired blindly behind him.

BOOOOOM!

The Y.E.T.I. which had hit him before was blown to bits, along with two of its comrades.

"RARR!"

More Y.E.T.I.s.

Ratchet equipped his Sheepinator.

WHAM!

Angela plowed her glider into a Y.E.T.I.

The snow beast fell on its butt.

Whreeeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

Angela's laser came in contact with the heart.

The lombax smirked confidently.

THWAP!

"DAAAAAH!" Angela screamed as she fell from her glider and into the cold snow.

WHUMP!

A Y.E.T.I. had jumped and hit her in the back. Right now it roared ("RAAAWRRGH!") and threw the glider.

Stomp-Stomp-Stomp-STOMP! It ran at the fallen girl.

Angela got up and threw a sphere.

POP! FWOOOOOOOOOOOOMB!

A wave of fire incinerated the Y.E.T.I.'s legs.

Angela jumped over it and was undamaged.

She frowned and produced her gun.

Whreeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

SPLORCH!

The Y.E.T.I.'s head exploded.

"HELP!"

Angela looked over her shoulder and gasped.

Ten--count 'em--ten Y.E.T.I.s were closing in on Lawrence.

Angela was about to run to assist, when--

P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-POOOM!

Ten black sheep came flying. Each one hit a Y.E.T.I.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOOM!

Angela looked in the direction where the exploding sheep came from.

"……," she sweatdropped.

Ratchet was holding his Sheepinator in one hand, and a Vortex Cannon in the other.

Him and Angela looked around. There where no more Y.E.T.I.s.

BOOM!

The main monster had just destroyed the last decoy.

It noticed that there where no more minions.

So…

"**RRRRAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOORRRRRGHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!" **

CR-ACK! CR-CR-CRAAAACK! C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CRRRAAACKK!

Cracks formed in the ice.

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Seven leviathans emerged from the cold waters below the ice, screaming their warcries.

And they all aimed at the mystic.

B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM! Ratchet fired his R.Y.N.O. II like a madman.

A leviathan was killed instantly.

At about the same time, Angela had recovered her glider and jumped on. She headed for a leviathan.

Whreeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

The laser from her gun severed the serpent's head.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!

An ice blast was 'eating' the ground and heading for the mystic.

Ratchet gasped and fired his Devastator without bothering to aim. PIOOOOOM!

BOOM!

A missile exploded and frightened the leviathan, causing it to accidentally aim and freeze a comrade, which was about to freeze Angela without her knowing.

Angela used her laser and broke the 'statue' into a million peaces.

"HAA!" Ratchet used his Rynocirator.

_**FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The remaining leviathans were reduced to ashes.

The mystic kept chanting.

"RRRRGHH! When's he gonna finish?.!.?.!" Ratchet yelled.

"Not anytime soon!" Angela said as she glided towards him and Clank. She noticed what the giant freak was doing. "And neither is HE!"

The monster pulled a leviathan from the ice. The then pulled out another. He forced the tail of one serpent into the other's face. The sea lizard engulfed the tail in its mouth. More leviathans were pulled out and procedure was repeated.

"**RRRRAAAAAAAAOOOOR!" **the behemoth swung the five-leviathan 'rope' over its head.

"You gotta be kidding me," Ratchet's shoulders dropped

FWOOOOOOSH!

The 'rope' was swung low.

Ratchet jumped over it while Angela remained hovering.

"We've got to separate them!" she said.

"On it," Ratchet ran after the 'rope'.

He equipped his Heavy Bouncer.

P-POOM! The ball landed and exploded.

**BOOOOOOOM!**

Several tiny balls scattered.

BOOM! B-B-B-BOOM! BOOOOOO-OOOOO-OOOM!.!.!.!.!.!

SP-SPLORCH!

A head and tail exploded. The leviathan with its bloody stub of a tail screamed in pain and got incinerated by one of Angela's weapons.

The leviathan in the middle held onto the carcass.

SHOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!

The 'whip' came down vertically.

_**SLAAAAAAAM!**_

It was a big miss.

TWP!

Ratchet's Quantum Whip wrapped around the body of the third leviathan.

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzt-Zzzzzzzzz!

It was electrocuted, along with the other two leviathans and the giant Y.E.T.I.'s paw.

"**AAAAAARRRRRGHH!" **the behemoth dropped the carcasses.

Whreeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

Angela zapped its chest.

"**RRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHH!.!.!.!.!**"

WHAP!

It backhanded her.

"ALGELA!" Ratchet's eyes widened.

"Look out, Ratchet--!"

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet barely dodged the ice beam.

FLICK!

Ratchet went flying back several feet after being flicked by the giant Y.E.T.I.

The mystic was finally vulnerable.

Scoop.

The big freak dug its paw into the snow and…………made a giant snowball.

It aimed--

"**AAAAAAGH!" **it suddenly dropped the snowball and clutched its head.

Ratchet looked at the mystic, eyebrow raised.

He was still levitating, but his face was twisted in a strained expression.

"What happening?"

"I think the mystic's finished building up his chi, Ratchet."

The lombax gazed in the direction where Angela was sent flying. He got up and ran towards it.

Meanwhile, the giant Y.E.T.I. was clutching its skull, screaming in agony.

"**AAAAAA-AAAAAAAGH!"**

It couldn't take it anymore.

WHOOOOOSH!

It jumped up all the way. It wasn't just some giant Y.E.T.I.; it was some giant Y.E.T.I. with a leviathan's tail where the legs where thought to have been. It was like some sort of ugly mermaid.

It jumped hundreds of feet in the air, twirled its body around so it dove headfirst into the pool.

SPLOOOOOOOSH!

After it was gone, the pool closed and--

_**CRRRKKK!.!.!.!.!**_

All the hills sunk into the ground.

The mystic stopped meditating and he collapsed into the snow.

Lawrence noticed and ran up to him.

"Are you alright?"

The mystic stood up on weak legs. "Never been better." He fell forward.

Lawrence caught him.

"I'll be alright," the mystic said. "I'm always exhausted after doing this. Could you help me to my circle?"

"Of course," Lawrence said. He looked in the direction where the others where. Ratchet was helping Angela up.

The lombax looked in Lawrence's direction.

Lawrence motioned with his head that he was going to the Mystic's circle.

Ratchet nodded. He said something to Angela. She nodded and said something back. She, Ratchet and Clank started walking to the shuttle.

* * *

Several miles away… 

"There we go," Agent J said as he welded the remains of the ice block he was stuck in.

His feat touched the snow.

He had a few scratches and bruises from the impromptu 'meeting'.

"Bloody Y.E.T.I.s," he grumbled as he walked through the snow. "I'll go after them once I take care of Ratchet and Clank."

BEEP-BEEP-B-BEEP!

"What now?" he pulled out a communicator from his pocket. "Agent J here."

"_Did you exterminate Ratchet and Clank?" _

Agent J's tone changed to polite at the sound of the Leader's emotionless voice. He gulped, "N-No."

A disappointed sigh from the other end. _"It's okay. You can redeem yourself by doing me a favor."_

"What is it?"

"_Are you still on Planet Grelbin?"_

"Yeah."

"_Good. I need you to get two things and bring them to Thugs-4-Less."_

"What would those two things be?"

* * *

The green shuttle left the planet's orbit. 

Skidd was driving. Clank sat between him and Lawrence. Ratchet and Angela sat in the back.

"So you didn't hear anything, Skidd?" Ratchet asked, wanting to make sure.

"Nope," Skidd said. "I was busy listening to the radio. Bogon's got some killer music!"

"Didn't you hear rumbling?"

"No."

"Did you feel rumbling?"

"Nuh uh."

"How loud was the music?"

"About all the way up. Hey, now I feel like listening to something!"

Skidd reached a hand out, but pressed the wrong button by accident.

The speakers cackled and a familiar voice came out.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi, I'd like to order a ship."_

"_Can I have your name, sir?"_

"_Dr. Heinous."_

"It would appear that we are receiving--" Clank got cut off.

"--absolutely no music!" Skidd frowned. "This station is bogus."

He changed the frequency.

Ratchet stood up from his seat. "No keep it there."

"Here, dude."

"_And the weather over here is--"_

"No, the other channel!"

"Whatever," Skidd changed back to the previous one.

Everyone listened.

"….."

"…."

"…"

"…"

"…."

When the transmission ended, Angela said, "Now we know where Dr. Heinous will be."

Ratchet nodded. "Take us back to the Phoenix, Skidd."

"I'm on it, dude,"

* * *

Review. 


	31. Puppets Part 1

Disclaimers: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-one: Puppets, Part 1**

Heinous sat at his desk in his big room. At the moment, he was viewing a holo-vid suspended in midair. To be more specific, the News.

When the broadcast was finished, Heinous pressed a button and the holo-vid shrunk, flew and landed on his desktop.

'_So, they are here,' _he thought. _'I guess we'll have to take precautions.'_

He pulled out his walky-talky.

"Raxamis. Come in."

"_Snnnkkkkktt! Big R here. What's up?"_

"It looks like we'll be going along with your idea after all."

"_You mean--?"_

"Yes. But we'll need more thugs. Meat me in The Big Room."

"_Got it. Big R out."_

Heinous took out a portable screen. He dialed a frequency and waited.

The thug Leader's plain face appeared onscreen.

"_Yes, Heinous?"_

"I'll be needing eleven thugs sent to my base, please."

"_Henchmen?"_

"Yeah…those."

"_Where are you?"_

"I'm still orbiting you planet."

"_They'll be there shortly."

* * *

_

The shuttle landed in the Phoenix's hanger. All passengers disembarked. 

Angela--her weapons in her utility belt--stared in amazement at the ship's interior.

"Woah… This ship is amazing. I cannot believe I'm on the Starship Phoenix."

Ratchet looked at her curiously. "You knew about it?"

"Yeah. There was a biography about the ship on the -holo-vid. I expected to come here, but I'm still awestruck."

"Yo, Ratchet," Skidd said as he marched up the two lombaxes, "Sasha wants Ally--"

"Angela."

"Whatever. Sasha wants her in the Bridge to ask you some things."

"What does he mean?" Angela asked.

"Ratchet explained to Sasha that you know Mr. Fizzwidget," Clank explained, "and he knows the Galactic President. Everyone's new to the galaxy. We sorta left in a hurry. We'll need presidential support in this situation."

"But why didn't you just go to the President straight away?" Angela inquired.

Ratchet had no idea how to answer that. Luckily, Clank did.

"Because you are our friend, no to mention you helped us before."

Angela smirked. "Wow. I'm flattered."

"Sorry to break this little chat," Lawrence interrupted, "but shouldn't we be getting to the Bridge."

"Yeah. Let's go," Ratchet said.

"I'll try and get Master Nefarious," Lawrence said and trotted off in a different direction.

* * *

"Sasha, Angela. Angela, Sasha." 

Gloved hands were shook.

"Hi. Welcome to the Phoenix."

"Hi. Thanks for having me here."

A smirking Qwark, a web-surfing Skidd, a silent Al, a quiet Lawrence, an observing Clank, a sweating Ratchet, a sleeping Skrunch, a greeting Sasha, a welcomed Angela, a……something Helga, an abnormal slim, and a pissed off Nefarious where gathered in the Phoenix's Bridge.

The hand-shaking stopped.

'_Phew,' _Ratchet thought. _'Everything's going great.'_

"Ratchet told me that you're able to help us in our search for Dr. Heinous."

"Yes. And we don't even need to waste time with theories, because we already know where he'll be going."

Sasha's eyebrows raided. "Really? How?"

"On the way back, Skidd intercepted a transmission Heinous was making," Ratchet said. "He was ordering a ship that could help him mine for raritanium."

"Why does Jeremy need raritanium?" Nefarious asked.

"For that, we don't know. But it must have something to do with the deplanetizer. Anyway, Heinous also asked where he could find raritanium. The guy he was calling made several suggestions. Heinous chose one of them randomly."

"Which one?"

"Heinous will be going to extract raritainium from Planet Tabora. It's a planet completely covered in desert. There's still life on that planet though. Heinous will be there."

"Do you know exactly where he'll be?" Slim asked.

"Err……."

"Twenty miles South of the mining area," Clank said.

"Okay then," Sasha said. "Might not need any help. But, Angela, stay with us just incase."

"Even if I don't provide help, I'd still like to be a part of it," Angela responded.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Qwark stood up from his seat, "I'll be drawing a plan for attack."

Ratchet groaned.

"And I'll be playing again. Call me when we're there," Nefarious said as he was leaving.

* * *

"Are the thugs ready, Albert?" Heinous asked. Him and Sandy stood outside the ship. 

"They are, sir," Albert responded.

"Okay," Heinous said as he turned to face the last thug and Sandy, "I have an important mission for you two."

The purple henchman listened.

"I'll be needing you to drive Sandy to the Phoenix. Now, the Phoenix has sensors and radars and stuff, so you'll have to do the following."

"I'm listening," the thug said as he polished his gun with a cloth.

"When I give you the 'okay', you'll take a ship and travel to the Phoenix. When you're close enough, launch Sandy to the ship. Wait till she calls via small alarm signal. Travel to the Phoenix, pick her up and return here."

"She'll be doing something in the Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"What about the ship's defenses?"

"No need to worry about them."

The thug frowned. "Is this ALL I have ta do?" he asked bitterly.

"Yes."

"What will the other thugs be doin'?"

"Guarding the ship."

"Why can't I go with them?"

"Trust me. You'll prefer the job I already gave you."

"Why can't the other robots do it?"

"Cuz they'll be watching the carnage with me."

"Man, this sucks!"

"Hey, do you want your pay or not?" Heinous smirked nastily.

"………..Fine, but you better not be screwing with me or I'll--"

"You'll what?" Heinous held a green energy ball at the ready.

The thug silently walked away.

The green ball disappeared in Heinous' hand. The scientist smirked. "That's what I thought."

* * *

_A badly drawn cartoon picture in crayon-style._

_(First, we will split up into two teams)_

_The picture was divided into two. On the left side, there was Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious, with a blue background. On the right side, there was Qwark, Slim and Skrunch, with a green background._

_(Ratchet, Clank and Dr. Nefarious will take a dropship--)_

_(My head isn't that big, Qwark!)_

_(As I was saying, Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious will take a ranger dropship and land two miles West of the ship which is digging for raritanium)_

_The picture changed to one of Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious waving from the windows of a ranger dropship flying in the sky……………chibi style._

_(The will land there and walk the rest of the way)_

_A second picture, featuring a side-view of Nefarious walking ahead, slouching…Clank walking behind Nefarious doing nothing special…….and Ratchet at the rear, eyes wide as he's looking at a skull in the sand._

_(This so, because of the ship's defenses)_

_A crayon image of a big ship with an over-exaggerated amount of missile on the roof._

_(The bottom part is defenseless. That's where we'll infiltrate using Swingshots and welding gadgets) _

_A drawn picture on lined paper with the bottom of the ship empty, being emphasized by straight lines._

_(Meanwhile, Jack, Skrunch and I will land two miles EAST of the ship)_

_Another chibi style image. Skrunch and Slim waving from the inside of Qwark's shuttle while Qwark is driving with a determined cartoon look on his face._

_(We will also have to walk it there)_

_Leaving out the fact that the images weren't coloured in the lines, Qwark is walking ahead of the group, his chest out and his chin squared………Skrunch walks on his fists and feet behind…………Slim takes the rear._

_(It doesn't matter who gets there first. All that matters is that we follow the maps I'll be giving you, get to the control room and shut that ship down)_

_An old shopping list. The words 'Milk', 'Butter', Eggs', 'Bread', and 'Cereal' had been scribbled on in pencil. _

_The picture in all this was of a control room with a big, red 'X' covering it._

_(Once that's one, someone on the Phoenix will call for that ship to be taken away. Meanwhile, I'll call my shuttle with my special…………..shuttle-caller)_

_A picture of Qwark holding a remote._

_(The shuttle will come, and my team will return to the Phoenix)_

_A picture of Qwark's shuttle flying through space._

_(Mission accomplished!)_

Qwark smiled as the slideshow ended. "Any questions?"

Nefarious raised a hand.

"Yes, you there on the right," Qwark said unenthusiastically.

"I was wondering……WHAT ABOUT US?.!"

"Call the ranger and he'll pick you up."

Nefarious raised an eyebrow. "What ranger?"

"The one in the dropship. He'll be driving you there."

"Oh."

"Any more questions?"

Ratchet raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Why can't I just skydive and get the job done quicker?"

"Because there are too many missiles. Anymore questions?"

"…."

"…."

"…."

"…."

"…."

"…"

"…."

"….."

"…."

"…."

"…"

"……"

"Okay then. Let's move! Come, Skrunch, Jack. We have a mission to complete!"

When Qwark wasn't there anymore, Angela asked Ratchet, "Is he always like that."

"I've had worse times when he sent only Clank and I to do the mission while everyone else observes."

"The reminds me of--"

"Hey, squishies!"

Ratchet and Angela looked over.

Nefarious was in the middle of walking up the ramp. "Stop flirting and get your ass moving. I wanna get to Jeremy before Lack does."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "See you later, Angela."

"Good luck, Ratchet."

Ratchet walked up the ramp. "Later, Sasha, Al, Skidd, Lawrence………Helga."

* * *

Nefarious tapped his foot impatiently. 

"What's taking so damn long?.!" he barked at the ranger pilot.

"Take it easy, Nefarious," Ratchet said from the bench. "The ship will go as fast as it can."

"We're already flying above the planet's surface," Clank added. "Give it ten minutes."

"I don't _have_ ten minutes!" Nefarious grabbed the ranger's shoulder and threw him over his head.

"AAAAAGH--!"

WHUMP!

The ranger landed on Ratchet.

"I'm piloting us there!" Nefarious said as he took hold of the controls.

"Don't!" Ratchet squeezed from under the ranger and tried to pry Nefarious from the controls.

"Let go of the controls, Nefarious!"

"Get away from me, squishy!.!.!.!"

"Just sit down and let the ranger do it."

"Yeah, let me do it."

"Who asked you, squishy-lover?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"

"Give me the controls, Nefarious!"

"NO!"

"Give them to me!.!"

"NEVER!"

"Let go of me!"

"Ratchet…"

"What, Clank?"

"We're about to crash."

Ratchet and Nefarious both looked at the screen.

"………."

"………."

Their eyes widened.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

_**CRASH!

* * *

**_

Two miles East of the ship, a green shuttle landed. 

Out from a ramp in the back, Qwark walked out like a poser. Unlike the plan, Skrunch stood on Qwark's left shoulder. Slim followed, equipping a Plasma Storm.

"What's that for?" Qwark asked.

"This desert's infested with mutant sandflyies, desert dune monsters and spotting dune crawlers," Slim said. "I just wanna be prepared."

Qwark seemed uneasy.

"Um… Say, Jack. Why don't you go ahead when Skrunch and I guard the shuttle?"

"Why don't you get you head outta your ass and get your ass moving after getting your head out of it?"

"…………………………………………………………………What?"

"Get moving, Qwark! I got a score to settle!"

"Fine."

The costumed man, the monkey and the tyhrranoid headed for the ship.

* * *

Ratchet crawled out of the debris, coughing. He was pulling out the ranger with him. 

He stopped a few feet away and gazed at the ship. It was in ruins. Pieces were scattered everywhere.

"Clank! Nefarious!" Ratchet called.

"What do you want?.! Can't you see I'm in the middle of prying my foot out?.!"

Ratchet looked and saw Nefarious attempting to pull his leg out from under a big piece of the ship.

"Have you seen Clank?"

"Don't know; don't care."

"I am right here, Ratchet."

Ratchet looked.

Clank was trotting toward him, undamaged.

"Clank? How'd you escape?" Ratchet asked.

"I took refuge under a bench," the robot answered.

"……….Oh."

"Our ship is destroyed. We'll need to continue the mission of foot."

Ratchet thought for a moment. "Clank, where are we?"

"Near the mines. Why do you ask?"

"Just follow me. Trooper, are you alright?"

"Not to worry, Sarge," the ranger said as he stood up. "I'm fine."

"Nefarious," Ratchet called, "follow us."

TWOP!

Nefarious pried his leg free.

"Coming!" the robot said as he ran towards the group.

* * *

The other three stood atop a hill. From there, they could see the ship. 

It looked more or less like a ranger dropship, but much bigger. Long, robotic arms which ended in drills dug through the hot sand and clawed arms picked them up and put them in a single hole a somewhere on the top.

"Let's move," Qwark said.

"Wow, you're not chicken after all," Slim remarked.

Qwark looked at Slim. "Say, can I borrow some of your weapons?"

Slim looked at Qwark with one eye while the other two scanned the area. "Why?

"Because I'm unarmed…and--you never know--Heinous could have guards."

"Fine, but only three." Slim went through his Storage Watch.

"Fine by me."

He pulled out an N90 Hurricane, a Bomb Glove and a Blitz Cannon. He threw them to Qwark.

Qwark caught them awkwardly. "Got a Storage Watch?"

A Storage Watch landed on Qwark's head.

"Thanks."

* * *

"This vessel is indeed broken," the Mystic said. 

"No shit," Nefarious folded his arms impatiently.

"I'll need twenty crystals if you want me to fix it."

"You'll need what?" Nefarious bellowed.

"Crystals, Nefarious," Ratchet said. "They're found in the desert."

"And you we need twenty?"

"Mmhmm."

"Screw that! I'm flying it there myself!"

"Nefarious, hold on--"

WHOOOOOSH!

Nefarious took to the air and hovered away. He soon turned into a little dot and was gone.

Ratchet sweatdropped. He looked at the Mystic. "Um, I'll be getting you those crystals."

As if he read Ratchet's mind, Clank jumped on Ratchet's back.

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

They blured away via Charge Boots.

* * *

"Hmmmm," Qwark inspected a communicator. "I'm not getting a signal. 

"Ooh ooh ooh aaaak!" Skrunch said.

"Probably," Qwark responded. He looked up. "How's it going, Jack?"

During all this, Slim was upside-down--courtesy of the Magneboots--using a welder to make a hole on the ship's 'belly'.

He looked 'up' and slid his protective mask off. "Almost done!"

"Okay!" Qwark replied from five storied bellow. He looked at Skrunch. The monkey was busy scratching itself.

"………"

A minute passed.

"….."

Skrunch was still scratching

"Done!"

"?" Qwark looked up.

Slim threw a metal square a few feet away. It landed in the sand as expected.

Slim the hole was behind Slim's 'standing' figure. He arched his back until his head found the floor of a hallway. His hands grabbed the edge of the hole. He clicked his heels together and the Magneboots deactivated. He pulled himself up and stood in the hallway.

He bent down and shouted in the hole. He gave a pure white thumb's up.

From below, Qwark also gave a thumb's up. He equipped a Swingshot which Slim gave him after reaching the ship's underside, and fired it.

POW-CLANK!

He managed to fire it through the hole and hit the ceiling.

Plant.

Skrunch jumped and landed on his left shoulder.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

The man in green and the monkey shot upward as the cord contracted.

………

Qwark and Skrunch hung from the ceiling. The superhero swung and landed next to Slim.

"Okay, we'll split up," Qwark said. "You'll find the control room while Skrunch and I'll search for Heinous."

Slim frowned. "No deal, Qwark. I wanna get Heinous!"

"It was my plan, so we'll do things my way!"

"How about I shove my Mini-Nuke up your ass and pull the trigger?.!"

"How about this," Qwark had an idea to solve the argument. "Whoever gets to where he wants to go first, gets to do their thing. But whoever finds the control room has to disable the ship no matter what."

"Got it," Slim snatched his Swingshot out of Qwark's hand and ran down a hall.

"I'm gonna get to Heinous first," Qwark said to Skrunch. "I beat his stepbrother, so it's only fair if I beat _him_, right?"

Skrunch shrugged.

"Hop on."

Skrunch jumped and landed on Qwark's left shoulder again.

Qwark equipped his borrowed N90 Hurricane and ran the opposite way Slim ran.

* * *

Nefarious hovered across the desert. He ignored any creature which would come out of the sand and attempt attacking him. 

He headed South.

"I'm coming for you, Jeremy. I'm coming for you."

* * *

Qwark walked down a hallway silently. The single door to the right at the end off the hall had a flickering light coming from inside. 

"That's where Heinous could be," Qwark said.

Skrunch nodded.

Qwark took a few more steps.

He sweated.

Skrunch breathed out his mouth.

Qwark did the same.

Skrunch bit his nails.

Qwark bit his lip.

"……….."

"…….."

Qwark replaced the N90 Hurricane with the Blitz Cannon.

The door was a few feet away.

Qwark gripped the doorframe. And looked in.

"……."

His whole body looked in.

"Just a teleport pad," he said.

THWAP! Someone pushed him from behind.

"!.!.!.!" Qwark gasped as he and Skrunch fell on the pad and--

FLASH!

* * *

FLASH! 

--ended up in another room.

WHUMP!

Qwark and Skrunch landed in the centre of the room.

Qwark shot up like a bullet. "Wait till I get my hands on the guy--" he noticed the room he was in "--pushed………me………"

Qwark and Skrunch were in a pink circular room. Screens with a deceased pop star's picture floated around to outside of the………….arena? Caged hovered out of reach.

"This looks like the room where Courtney Gears films all he music videos," Qwark uttered as he was mesmerized.

Skrunch stared also, a drop of saliva handing from his bottom lip.

"_Although it looks like it, it's only a remake. You like?"_

Qwark jumped as a familiar voice came out of the speakers.

"Heinous?" Qwark looked left and right. "Where are you?"

"_Definitely not on the ship. Do you think I'd be dumb enough to stay here like a sitting duck? Not all of us are stupid, Qwark."_

"Is this the place where Courtney Gears films her music videos?"

"_Sadly, no. It's only a remake. In reality, you're on a small space station orbiting Planet Tabora."_

"Are you the one who pushed me?.!"

"_What's wrong, Qwark? After pushing so many people around, you don't think it's time you were……pushed around?"_

"Answer me, you robot freak."

"_Temper temper, Qwark. If you must know, a thug pushed you."_

"A thug?"

"_Yup. I've hired Thugs-4-Less encase you and the other losers try to stop my plans."_

"What are you planning?"

"_I'm not telling you shit, Qwark. Even though you're gonna die in a few moments."_

"Show yourself so I can kick your ass."

"_As much as I'd like to fight you and win, I'm not gonna do it."_

"Why?"

"_I have someone else here who'll do it."_

"Who? Thugs?"

"_Yes, but I wasn't referring to them."_

"Then who were you referring to?"

"_You'll se in a few seconds. Teleport her to the ship, Albert."_

"_Teleporting, sir."_

FLASH!

Another flash of light happened. Someone else was in the room.

Qwark and Skrunch averted their eyes from the huge amount of light stabbing at them.

When they were sure that it was safe to look, they looked.

They gasped in unison.

Courtney Gears leaned sexily in one leg on the other side of the arena. She was the same as usual; silver skin, red headband, skimpy, tight, red tube-top, dark gold hair, red tube-skirt, long, red platform boots……… Blue antenna? Solid blue eyes?

Qwark noticed the sudden change. "What's with the antenna and eyes?"

"_Ah yes, the most interesting part. Rumor had it that she went missing. In reality, she was 'killed' by Ratchet on the Obani Draco. I found her there and brought her to my base. Later, Raxamis and I 'resurrected' her. She was keen on joining us in our quest to destroy all squishies. However, she was rebellious when I mentioned Vince. She said she'd never fight against him. Then she called him her………um, 'snookywookems', I think it was. I don't suppose you know what it means, Qwark?"_

"…………No."

"_What about the monkey?"_

"…………"

"_Didn't think so. So I had to get……persuasive on her. I--"_

"You raped her?.!"

"…_No, I didn't rape her, you moron. Are you familiar with mind control?"_

"You use mind control!"

"_Wow, he's not so stupid after all, isn't he"_

"You did, didn't you?"

"_Yup. That antenna you see on her headband is what's controlling her. The blue eyes are just some affects it makes. I would have made them orange, but I didn't know how. Anyways, she's my slave."_

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That sounded so dirty, Uncle!"_

"_Oh, be quiet, Raxamis."_

Qwark sweatdropped.

"_Ahem. Now, Courtney……ATTACK!"_

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

Courtney rose one leg up by exactly ninety degrees and balanced on the other one so she could spin in several circles.

Qwark gasped and ran on the outside of the arena. Skrunch held on for dear life. Courtney's foot was tearing at his rear.

The pop star finally came to a stop, did a back-flip, landed on the other side of the circle and fired pink projectiles.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Qwark side-stepped three, ducked one, and jumped over the other two.

He landed on his feet and panted.

"Aak aak!" Skrunch said.

"You're right," Qwark said. "We need to get that antenna off her--AAAGH!"

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Spinning pink shots came flying at him.

Skrunch's hands dug into Qwark's suit.

The superhero dodged them all, except for one.

"YAWCH!.!.!.!" Qwark rubbed his butt.

"_Sit this one out, Courtney!" _Heinous boomed over the speakers.

Courtney dematerialized.

"?" Qwark and Skrunch looked around.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Four thug henchmen appeared in a blinding flash of light. Like Courtney, they had antennas and solid blue eyes.

"You mind-controlled the thugs too?.!" Qwark yelled.

"_Yeah. Destroy him!"_

The purple lizards pulled out guns and fired electricity.

ZAP! Z-ZAP! ZAP!

Qwark barely dodged them.

He growled and ran forward.

Instead of equipping a weapon and killing innocent thugs, Qwark decided to use his fists and feet.

WHAM!

Qwark uppercut one thug with a green fist.

The henchman teetered back.

The others fired.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

Qwark jumped over the shots and landed a fist into the nearest thug.

POW!

WHUMP!

The thug fell into a comrade. Both fell down without a hint of pain.

"_Did I forget to mention the mind-control devices also have painkillers?"_

THWACK!

A thug hit Qwark in the right shoulder with the butt of his gun.

ZAP!

The first thug Qwark punched fired.

Qwark jumped over it.

ZAAAAAAAAAP!

The grounded thugs which were recovering got zapped. Their unconscious bodies fell down, smoking.

FLASH! FLASH!

They were teleported out.

CLUTH!

Qwark grabbed the thug who hit him's face.

The lizard-man struggled in his grip. He aimed his gun at Qwark's head.

ZAP!

Qwark gasped and dodged to the right.

"AAAAAK!" Skrunch ducked, resulting in the fur on his back getting singed.

The other advancing thug also ducked.

Qwark spun around, bringing the thug with him and threw him into the other.

WH-WHUMP!

They went flying back and--

FLASH! FLASH!

--were teleported out.

"_Stupid thugs! Albert, send in one."_

"_And make sure he do what I told them to, okay, Jeeves?"_

"_Fine."_

F-FLASH!

An unarmed thug appeared in the centre of the circle.

Qwark stood at the ready.

CLAP!

The thug clapped his hands together.

Qwark's muscles tensed.

Shift.

One of the hands shifted, facing down while the other faced up. The palms remained connected.

Qwark's muscles relaxed.

The mind-controlled thug stood on one leg.

Qwark sweatdropped. "Oh Hell no."

The leg rose by ninety degrees.

"Please no."

The lizard-man faced upwards.

"This isn't happening."

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

The thug started spinning towards Qwark.

"Oh boy," Qwark ran for it.

As expected the thug stopped spinning. He jumped to some other part of the arena and spun again.

Qwark grunted, lunged forward and--WHAM!--stopped the thug by punching him in the chest.

The thug stumbled back and fell to the floor, coughing.

FLASH!

He was teleported out.

Qwark smirked. "NEXT!"

Skrunch also smirked.

"_What the? I thought they were good thugs! Dammit! Send all the rest in!"_

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Five more thugs appeared.

Qwark clenched his fists. "Bring 'em on!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

They came spinning from all angles.

Qwark's antenna dropped.

SCREEEEECH-SMACK!

One thug stopped behind him and smacked him upside the head.

Qwark stumbled forward and grabbed another thug for support.

Skrunch flew forward with the momentum, clutching onto Qwark's suit for dear life. He came flying back--

WHAP!

His feet hit a thug in the face.

Using the thug he grabbed, Qwark flung him into the thug which Skrunch hit.

WH-WHUMP!

They both fell back into another thug they all fell back and were teleported out.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

"_Who keeps doing that?……… Albert?"_

"_I'm concerned for their safety."_

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

The last two thugs came at Qwark's left and right.

All Qwark had to do was take a step back for them to crash into each other.

WHUMP!.!

FLASH! FLASH!

"_DAMMIT!.!.!.!.! Use the robots!"_

"Yes," Qwark said. "Gimme a reason to use my weapons."

"Aak hoo hoo 'oooh aak'?"

Qwark frowned. "Jack's weapons. Sorry."

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Five ninjas were teleported into the arena, armed with double-bladed laser swords and ninja stars.

Qwark equipped a Bomb Glove and tossed an explosive sphere.

All the ninjas jumped/hopped/flipped/crawled/cart-wheeled out of the way.

BOOM!

The bomb exploded, claiming no victims.

Two ninjas threw their stars.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

Qwark ducked.

VIIIIIIIIIIUUUUUUM!

A ninja ran at Qwark, swinging his laser sword.

Qwark caught the laser sword's hilt. The ninja tried pulling away.

Another ninja came--

CLUTH!

Qwark caught the hilt.

Both ninjas pulled to get their weapons back.

Qwark's vision shifted from ninja to ninja. He then realized that Skrunch was no longer on his shoulder.

Another ninja aimed a star at Qwark's head.

The ninja aimed--

BLAM!

--and was blown to bits.

Qwark and the ninjas blinked.

Skrunch stood behind the smoldering pile of ninja remains……….holding a Blitz Cannon. The weapon barely fit in his little arms.

A ninja ran at him, swinging its laser sword.

Skrunch hugged the Blitz Cannon's butt to his chest, his hands pulling the trigger.

The ninja leapt and--

BLAM!

--was destroyed.

Qwark used this distraction to his advantage. He tensed his biceps and slammed the two ninjas he was still struggling with.

CRUNCH!

They crumbled.

There was only one ninja left.

Qwark equipped an N90 Hurricane.

Skrunch strained to aim the large weapon at the ninja.

The ninja raised its laser sword over its head.

Qwark narrowed his eyes.

"………"

Skrunch prepared to hug the Blitz Cannon.

The ninja's head shifted from Qwark to Skrunch.

"_Aw someone do something already!"_

"_Quiet, Raxamis."_

"_But it's borrrrrrrrrrrrrring."_

"_Just be patient."_

"….," the ninja's eye/s glowed.

SWOOOOSH!

The ninja leapt forward.

BLAM!

Skrunch fired.

The ninja jumped over the blast, landed behind the monkey and swung a leg around.

WHAP!

Skrunch was hit hard and sent flying.

Qwark fired.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!

The ninja managed to dodge every blast with a series of flips.

It landed right next to the superhero.

Qwark equipped the Bomb Glove and prepared to throw--

GRIP!

The ninja had Qwark's wrist and squeezed.

CR-CRACK!

Qwark gritted his teeth as his right wrist was broken.

CLUTCH!

Qwark grabbed the laser sword's hilt.

Him and the ninja stared at each other face-to-face. That was until Qwark--

BUMP!

--head-butted the robot.

The ninja flew back some, but managed to land on its feet.

Qwark readied his double-bladed laser sword.

The ninja readied its Bomb Glove.

A beat.

"……..?" "……..?"

They both looked at their weapons and realized that they were the wrong ones.

"Hey!" Qwark pointed with the sword. "Give me my Bomb Glove back!"

"Oooh!" Skrunch cackled as he walked to Qwark, dragging the Blitz Cannon behind him.

"Jack's Bomb Glove!"

The ninja pointed at the double-bladed laser sword and then at itself.

"Okay, at the count of three, we'll throw them across at the same time," Qwark suggested.

Skrunch did a double-take.

"One…two….three!"

Qwark tossed the sword.

The ninja tossed the Bomb Glove.

They both caught them.

Skrunch took the Bomb Glove out of Qwark's hand and threw something, saying, "Hoo hoo akk."

"What do you mean he can keep it?"

The ninja caught the Glove.

A beat,

It realized that it was holding a bomb.

The ninja prepared to throw, but--

BOOM!

--it was too late.

"_That was just--sssksnntttkk--ing stupid."_

"Hey, you're the one sending in stupid robots!" Qwark said, clutching his broken wrist.

"_Courtney, you're up."_

FLASH!

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

A spinning Courtney came at Qwark.

Qwark picked Skrunch and the other weapons and ran for it.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

This time, Courtney didn't stop.

"Skrunch…," Qwark panted, "…put the weapons in the Watch.

Skrunch did so; every weapon was back in the Watch.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

Courtney didn't stop spinning.

"We need to get at that antenna!"

Courtney finally stopped. The robot back-flipped to the edge of the arena and sent a wave of plasma.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Qwark jumped and the wave missed.

"This is it Skrunch…"

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Qwark ducked as the spinning pink projectiles flew.

"………get that antenna."

Skrunch nodded.

Qwark grabbed him with his one good arm and threw the monkey.

Skrunch flew at Courtney and landed on her head. With two primate hands, Skrunch pulled to get the antenna off.

"_Don't let him do that, Courtney!"_

The pop star grabbed Skrunch's tail and tried to pull the monkey off.

Qwark ran to help.

FLASH!

Courtney threw a pink wave at him.

"OOF!" Qwark was hit and sent back.

TWOP!

Skrunch managed to pull the antenna off.

Courtney froze. Her eyes changed from blue to golden.

And…

…she fell.

And the music stopped.

Qwark ran towards her and scooped her up in his left arm.

"What happened to her?"

"_Since the monkey pulled the antenna off, Courtney was free from the hypnotic trance. However, and after effect is severe exhaustion for both squishies AND robots."_

"So, she'll be alright?" Qwark looked up at nothing.

"_Yeah, but this entire place is set to go off in a few seconds."_

Qwark and Skrunch both gasped.

"_You may have beat Courtney, but this place is going to beat you, Qwark. My ship will collect all the raritanium and I'll be home free."_

"Uh oh."

"_So long, ya loser. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH--"_

FLASH!

A teleport pad appeared in the center of the arena.

"_Huh?"_

Qwark and Skrunch blinked.

"_Raxamis, what did you do?.!"_

"_Switch on the teleport pad."_

"_Why?"_

"_That's how it goes in boss-fights."_

Skrunch sweatdropped.

There was a sound of hitting from the speakers.

"_This--_

_WHAP!_

_--is--_

_WHAP!_

_--not--_

_WHAP!_

_--A BOSS-FIGHT!"_

Skrunch tugged on Qwark's sleeve. Qwark looked. Skrunch pointed at the teleport pad.

Qwark nodded, picked Courtney up and hobbled towards the flat, green circle.

FLASH!

Skrunch jumped in and disappeared.

FLASH!

Qwark and Courtney jumped in after.

* * *

FLASH! 

They were back in the small hallway.

Qwark panted. "Whew, glad to….be off that place."

Skrunch pointed at Courtney.

"Perhaps, Al can fix her--HEY!--Maybe she can join us!"

Skrunch leaned his head to the side.

"I'm serious! With her fighting moves, she could help us beat Heinous. She already hates him. She could also convince Nefarious to change his mind," Qwark winked.

"They you are!"

Qwark and Skrunch looked.

Slim was running towards them. "I've been trying to contact you--whoa!" his eyes widened as he noticed Courtney. "Is that--?"

"Yes, it's Courtney Gears," Qwark interrupted the tyhrranoid. "I'll explain later."

"Man this is too freaky," Slim said.

"You're telling me. Say, got any Nanotech on you? I broke my wrist."

"Sure," Slim reached into his Storage Watch and pulled out a Nanopack. He tossed it to Qwark.

He caught it, held it over his broken wrist and opened it with his teeth. He relaxed as his wrist was healed.

"I found the control room," Slim said. "It's set to go off in ten minutes. So far, five minutes have passed."

"My plan wasn't to blow it up! My plan was to--"

"Yeah, I know. Look, do you wanna stop Heinous, or not?"

"Let's just get out of here."

"I'm way ahead of you. Follow me."

Slim ran down at hall. Skrunch jumped on Qwark's shoulder. Qwark--now holding Courtney with both arms--ran after Slim.

* * *

"There, it's fixed," the Mystic said as the dropship touched the sand after spinning in the air while being fixed. 

"Thank you again, sir," Clank said.

"I wonder," Ratchet said. "How'd you get here so fast?"

The Mystic leaned his old head to the side.

"We just me you on Grelbin about three hours ago. We left there and came straight here. How'd you do it?"

"Not 'how'; why?" the old man suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"Why am I here? Why are any of us here?" the mystic held his arms up. "The only reason for us to be here is to repro--"

"Okay," Ratchet cut him off, "I get it. Thanks for the fix. We'll be on our way."

The lombax ran into the dropship, which had opened. The ranger saluted the mystic and marched in. Clank nodded and walked in. A second later, the dropship rose and headed South.

The mystic shock his head. "So impulsive."

* * *

PLANT! 

Slim landed in the hot sand. In front of him stood Qwark, carrying Ms. Gears, and Skrunch.

"We're still under the ship!" Slim yelled. "We have to get some distance!"

Qwark nodded and started running. Skrunch--not on his shoulder--followed on all fours. Slim took the rear.

"How long for the ship to blow?" Qwark asked while running.

Slim looked at his watch. "About five seconds."

"Nice."

* * *

Nefarious' feet touched the sand. He could see the ship. He smirked. 

"HAHA, Jeremy! I'm gonna kick you're--!"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The ship exploded.

Nefarious stared, frozen stiff, his hands still in the air.

"…………"

**WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

A wave of sand came at him. Nefarious didn't even close his widened eyes.

"………"

Smoke rose from the remains of the ship. Desert animals crawled out of the sand and ran every which way.

"…….," Nefarious lowered his arms. They dangled by his side. He frowned. "Jeremy had better not be in that ship."

He spotted three figured running from the falling debris.

Nefarious raised an eyebrow, jumped in the air and flew towards them.

* * *

The ranger piloted the dropship at respectable speed. 

Ratchet and Clank silently sat on a bench.

"Sarge," the ranger said, "there's something you should see."

Ratchet stood up and walked to the ranger's side. "What is it?"

"There appears to be smoke coming from the ship's location," the ranger explained.

"'Smoke'? Qwark's team must have gotten there first," Ratchet seemed disappointed. "Take us there so we can regroup."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Well, I've called the shuttle!" Qwark said. "Mission accomplished." 

"Where do you think Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious are?" Slim asked.

"Feh, probably fell behind because they don't have a cool shuttle like mine."

Slim rolled his three eyes. "Can I have my Storage Watch back?"

Qwark looked at Slim in disbelief. "What?.! This thing helped saved me when I was trying to get Courtney back!"

Slim looked at Courtney with one eye. At the moment, she lay on her back. Skrunch stood near her, staring to see if she awoke.

"About that," Slim said, "care to explain?"

"Skrunch and I were teleported--" Qwark was cut off.

"There you squishies are!" Nefarious pointed as he walked up the hill of sand. "Don't tell me Jeremy was on that ship!"

"No, Nefarious," Qwark said, "he said he wasn't on the ship."

"You talked to him?.?.!"

"Yeah. When I asked, he didn't tell me what he was planning…just that he needed raritanium for something."

"What for?"

"He didn't tell me that. Instead, he sicked thugs and robots on me and Skrunch."

"How'd you escape?"

"A teleport-pad came right after……right after…" Qwark's voice lingered.

Nefarious raised an eyebrow. "Right after what?"

"Right after we freed Courtney from Heinous' control," Qwark pointed at the robot's 'sleeping' figure.

Nefarious' eyes widened. "COURTNEY?.!"

He rushed over and crouched beside her. "What happened to her?"

"Dr. Heinous had her under the control of some device," Qwark said. "He found her at the Obani Draco. She attacked Skrunch and I. She was being controlled against her will by Heinous. He said that she didn't want to join him and be against you…so he put an antenna on her head. This antenna controlled her. Skrunch and I managed to remove it, but then Courtney collapsed. Heinous said that the mind-control device leaves its victims exhausted when it's removed. She'll be fine."

"…..." Nefarious was silent. He heard every word.

"I even had this crazy idea to ask her to join us," Qwark smiled weakly.

Nefarious stood up and sauntered to Qwark. The scientist towered over the superhero.

Qwark gulped.

"Jeremy did this," Nefarious said. "Ratchet may have put her out of commission, but her being controlled by my stepbrother is a fate worse than death. Al will fix her, I'll talk to her, and she'll join us. Got it?"

Qwark was about to respond--

"Look!" Slim pointed.

Everyone looked.

The ranger dropship landed, opened and Ratchet, Clank and a ranger stepped out.

"What took you so long?" Slim asked with a smirk.

"Nefarious crashed the ship," Ratchet glared at the robot. The robot glared back. "We had to fix it while he went ahead. Sorry we're late, what did we miss?"

"Qwark here found Courtney Gears," Slim said.

Ratchet did a double-take. "What?"

"It's true, Ratchet. Qwark and his monkey found, fought and rescued Courtney from Heinous."

"How? Where?"

"We'll talk about this later," Nefarious said, carrying the lifeless pop star in his arms. "Right now, let's get Courtney back to the bigass ship so Al can fix her." He walked into the dropship without another word.

"Damn, this is all going to fast," Ratchet muttered as he headed inside the dropship.

At about that time, a familiar, green shuttle landed behind Qwark.

The superhero turned around and opened the backdoor via remote control. "Well, here's our ride." Him and Skrunch walked in.

Clank and the ranger headed inside the dropship. The vessel hovered up and flew high.

Slim was on his own. The shuttle was waiting for him.

The tyhrranoid started walking towards it. "Man, can this day get any weirder?"

* * *

In deep space, a small ship traveled the unforgivable vacuum. It was piloted by a thug. Sandy rested behind him, exhausted from her unknown mission. 

The thug pressed a button on the ship's small console. A hand-sized screen came out of the wall to his right. On it was Heinous' face.

"_Did you do as I asked?" _the image asked.

"Yes, Dr. Heinous," the henchman said, "everything went as you said."

"_Excellent," _the image grinned.

"Could you please tell me what it was about?"

"_Come here and watch the show."_

"I'll take about ten minutes."

"_You might miss the beginning, but there's nothing to understand."_

"Whatever."

The small ship neared the big, orange cube.

* * *

The next chapter will take a while to update. I'm not sure, but something's wrong with my computer. That AND school will be starting soon.

I know. The fight in this chapter wasn't very good. I'll do better. I promise.

Review please.


	32. Puppets Part 2

Disclaimers: This is the last one you'll see. BWAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-two: Puppets, Part 2**

A shuttle and a dropship landed in the Phoenix's hanger.

In the center, the disembarking passengers met and formed a circle.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Nefarious said. He was still carrying Courtney. "Since I'm so busy playing, Qwark will take Courtney to Al so he can fix her." He tossed the robot to Qwark.

Qwark caught her. He shook his head. "Nuh uh, Nefarious. She's your girlfriend, so _you _take her." He hurled Courtney at the scientist.

Nefarious caught her. "She's not my girlfriend, Qwark! Since you were fantasizing about her in your fifth vid-comic, you take her. It'll be probably the only action you'll get for the rest of your stupid life!" he threw Courtney.

Qwark caught her. "At least I CAN get action." He threw her.

She landed in Nefarious' arms. "The only way you can get action is by wa--"

"Hey, cool it, you guys!" Slim interrupted.

"Okay then, Jack! You take her!" Nefarious threw her at Slim.

The tyhrranoid caught Courtney and held her in white arms. "Oh no, she ain't my responsibility! Qwark, since you rescued her, you take her!"

The argument turned into a game of Hot Potato.

Ratchet sweatdropped.

"I'm gonna slice your head off!"

"Do that and I'll kick you in the crotch! Oh wait, you can't feel pain there!"

"Man you two are like kids!"

"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!"

Everyone stopped. They looked at Ratchet. The lombax was panting.

"Why don't I go and find Al, bring him here and see if he can fix Courtney," Ratchet suggested. "That sound okay?"

"Yeah."

"Mmhmm."

"Whatever."

"Good--hey. Anyone wonder why there are no rangers?"

"Who cares?" Nefarious began running. "I'm off to play."

"I'm off to the gym," Qwark jabbed a thumb at himself. "Come on, Skrunch."

Qwark and Skrunch started running.

"How can Nefarious care about something once and not care about it a second later?" Slim asked.

"It doesn't matter," Ratchet said. "Right now, I have to find Al. Are you coming?"

"Nah, I'm going to the cafeteria," Slim walked away.

Ratchet shook his head. He pointed at the ranger. "Guard her for me, will you?"

The ranger saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Al could be at the Bridge," Clank said. "It is his work time."

"Sure," Ratchet made his way to one of the staircases.

"So you and Klunck fought Ms. Gears?" Clank asked.

"I told you, Clank, you have nothing to be jealous about," Ratchet smiled helplessly. "Your clone's long gone."

"I am not jealous, Ratchet. I just wanted to know what him and you have been through."

They boarded the pod.

"Let's see," Ratchet thought hard. "He made us leave Nefarious' star cruiser without Qwark when it was about to blow up. Then we went to Metropolis and that's where I rescued you."

"Anything else?"

The pod stopped. Ratchet and Clank disembarked.

"Nope."

"Okay then."

"Okay."

* * *

The double-doors opened. 

Ratchet stepped in.

Clank stepped in.

"……….."

"……….--"

WHAP!

Ratchet was kicked in the side by someone. The lombax fell from the unexpected blow.

"Ratchet!" Clank exclaimed. He noticed the one who kicked Ratchet. "Captain Sasha?"

There, Sasha stood, her face deadpan……and an antenna stuck to the top of her head and her eyes a solid, pale blue. She cracked her neck and readied her fists.

"My scanners say that she's under some kind of hypnotic control," Clank said.

"Then let's get help," Ratchet grabbed Clank's arm and ran to the door.

WHUMP!

Ratchet bumped his head on the doors which didn't open. "What the?.!"

"Um……Ratchet," Clank pointed.

Ratchet looked to his right. He eyes widened.

Angela hand her hand in the wall. She pulled out a handful of sparking wires. Like Sasha, she had a blue antenna on her head and solid, blue eyes.

Ratchet gulped.

* * *

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?" Nefarious lifted up the right sofa and looked under it. "I know I left the VG on the table!" 

He let the sofa fall.

"Where could it be?" he paced back and forth, rubbing his chin. "Someone must have taken it! GRRRR! I was so close to beating Empire Hearts!"

He went down on his knees and yelled with his arms outstretched. "WHERE COULD I BE?.!.?.!.?.!"

Thwap.

The game console landed in his arms.

"?" Nefarious blinked. "He looked up."

Nothing.

"Hmmmm," he walked over and bent down to put the VG9000 on the coffee table. "Oh well. I'll check later--"

THWAP!

Someone kicked him in the butt.

"!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious fell forward and stiffened his arms so he wouldn't break the table……or more importantly, the VG9000. He pushed and stood upright.

He spun around.

Nothing.

"Alright, who there?" Nefarious ran to the middle of the room and spun in circles.

Nothing stirred.

Nefarious was beginning to feel uneasy.

TWOOOOSH-TRIP!

He was tripped from behind.

"AAAAK!"

WHUMP!

He fell on his butt.

"That's it!" he got to his feet and made a break for the door. "I'm outta here!"

WHAP!

"Ouch! DAMMIT!" he rubbed his head after crashing into the unopened doors. "I could have sworn I ducked."

Nefarious looked to his right for some reason. His eyes widened as he saw wires ripped out of the wall.

He was trapped.

The robot tried acting brave. "Um….hello? W-What do you want? I-I-I……didn't do anything wrong…did I?"

He stepped forward. And as he did--

TWAP!

A punch to the back.

He growled angrily. "Alright! Enough screwing around and show yourself!"

FLASH!

Two figures appeared in the centre of the room.

Nefarious did a double-take.

Lawrence and Helga glared at him. Because their eyes were naturally blue, the only thing that said they were being controlled was an antenna in their heads.

Lawrence fingered the teleport button on his arm. Helga readied her metal fists.

Nefarious noticed the antennas. His eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Stop! You're being controlled by Dr. Heinous," Qwark pleaded as he backed up more. Skrunch held onto Qwark's shoulder. 

Skidd and Al--both blue-eyed and wearing one antenna each--didn't stop.

Al reached into his pocked and pulled out a blue single-bladed laser sword. Skidd pulled out a blaster.

They where in the Phoenix gym. At the moment, Qwark backed up against a wall.

Al and Skidd came closer.

Skrunch tapped Qwark on the shoulder. "Ooh ah ah ah!"

"Okay," Qwark's face hardened. "I'll throw you and we'll get those antennas off." He grabbed Skrunch and threw him.

CLUTCH!

Al caught the airborne monkey and threw him back at Qwark.

WHAP!

Skrunch collided with Qwark's chest.

Qwark picked the monkey up and placed him on his left shoulder.

"I guess we'll have to fight," Qwark said.

Skrunch nodded weakly.

* * *

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! 

Several hypnotized rangers shot random blasts at Slim.

The tyhrranoid ran up and wall, 'turned right' and landed in a crouch behind the cafeteria's counter.

He panted. "Heinous must have been here. I'll need help if I wanna beat these rangers."

He took out his communicator. "Qwark. This is J--"

TWASH!

CRACK! The communicator broke in Slim's hand. The tyhrranoid blinked. With all his eyes, he looked to the right.

A ranger stood, his gun barrel smoking.

From the left--

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

Slim jumped, kicked off the counter, kicked off the wall and landed on the other side of the room.

The rangers readied fire.

Slim looked at the way out again. It was rendered broken.

"Normally, I'd break through that door with one of my weapons," Slim said out loud for the sake of saying it, "but in the rangers' case, I'll make an exception. After all, you guys did kill some of my race."

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

Slim blurred forward, avoiding any shots. He made a fist and--

POW!

--crumbled a ranger to pieces.

TWASH!

The one next to him fired his last shot.

Slim gripped the broken ranger by the leg and used it as a bludgeon.

WHAP!

The ranger was struck and probably crashed into another two rangers. Slim wasn't looking, because he was too busy with another ranger.

WHACK!

**FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! **W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WACKKK!.!.!.!.!.!.!

With unnatural speed, Slim blurred through half the room, hitting any ranger within a ten-inch radius.

Slim stopped and threw leg--which was the only thing left after the hitting--behind him.

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

The surviving rangers opened fire.

Slim equipped a Walloper and blurred forward.

WHOOOOOSH!

* * *

"Ratchet, it is pointless talking to them!" Clank exclaimed from Ratchet's back as the lombax dodged laser fire. "If we want to get them back to normal, we must take action!" 

Whreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

Ratchet back-flipped and dodged a gliding Angela's ray gun.

"If we disable the antennas on their heads, Sasha and Angela won't be under Dr. Heinous' control."

"I hope it works then," Ratchet said as he jumped from the high part of the room to the low.

WHAP!

He stumbled forward from Sasha's kick to his back.

Ratchet took out his wrench and held it up as a shield to dodge Sasha's fist.

CLANG!

Sasha felt no pain as her gloved knuckles touched black metal.

Ratchet swung his foot low.

Sasha jumped over the lombax and kicked off his back.

TH-THAWP!

Ratchet fell on his front.

"Look out!" Clank yelled.

POP! FWOOOOOOOOMB!

Ratchet got to his feet, jumped and landed on a computer console. He glared at Angela.

She charged her ray gun.

Whreeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

Ratchet rolled right and ran forward. He jumped and prepared to plow into Angela, when--

WHAM!

--Sasha plowed into him from out of nowhere.

Ratchet hit the big screen, forming spider web cracks.

Whreeeeeeeeeeee---

"!" Ratchet pushed himself off just in time to avoid--

ZAP!

--Angela's ray gun.

The lombax landed in a crouch, panting.

"Let's just get outta here, Clank. One of my weapons will break the door down." He got to his feet, jumped up--avoiding a sliding kick from Sasha--landed near Qwark's chair and ran for the door,

"No, we must not leave Sasha and Angela like this," Clank said.

"I'll regroup with the others and we'll come up with a plan!"

"The sooner we help Sasha and Angela, the sooner this will be over."

"I guess you're right."

Sasha came from the right with a fist.

CLUNK!

Ratchet blocked with his wrench.

Sasha back-flipped as few feet and charged forward. She jumped and trusted her booted feet at Ratchet's head.

Ratchet formed an 'X' with his arms and absorbed every blow.

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAP!

Ratchet wondered how she could say in the air for so long.

"Rat--!"

WHUMP!

Angela kicked him in the back.

Ratchet stumbled forward.

Sasha caught him and performed a suplex.

**_WHAP-POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

_**

FLASH! 

THWAM!

Helga punched Nefarious upside the head.

Before the scientist could turn around and grab the antenna on her head--

FLASH!

--she disappeared.

Nefarious concentrated and--

FLASH!

'_There!'_

POW!

Nefarious punched Helga--who had just appeared--in the chest.

The fat robot fell on her broadside.

Nefarious dove at her--

FLASH!

WHAM!

--and crashed into a wall after being teleported.

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared behind him.

Nefarious glared behind him and back-kicked.

Lawrence ducked.

Nefarious spun around with a left hook, but Lawrence was gone.

Nefarious looked around. Helga was also gone.

FLASH!

Nefarious looked up. His eyes widened. He dove forward.

CRASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Helga landed in a belly-flop right where Nefarious was a second ago.

The Nefarious turned around and panted.

FLASH!

He gasped.

THWAP!

Lawrence punched a small fist into the back of Nefarious' head.

Nefarious stumbled forward--Helga had disappeared--and would have hit the wall, hadn't--

HUG!

--Helga wrapped her arms around Nefarious' waist--unromantically--trapping his arms, and squeeeeeeeeeeezed.

Nefarious grunted, raised his legs and made them 'walk' up the wall in front of him. When they where high enough, Nefarious pushed his legs hard. As expected, Helga lost her grip. Nefarious back-flipped, landed behind her and--

GRIP!

--grabbed the antenna on her head.

He pulled.

TWOP! The antenna came off.

Helga collapsed instantly.

Nefarious blinked and looked down. "The Hell?"

FLASH! She disappeared.

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared instead of her--

SLAP!

--slapped Nefarious and--

FLASH!

--disappeared.

"GRRRRH!" Nefarious rubbed his cheek. "Okay, Lawrence, it's just you and me now."

* * *

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! 

Qwark--with Skrunch clinging to his shoulder--hid behind a rack of dumbbells.

P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-PING!

The yellow bullets bounced off the dumbbells.

"Good thing I still have Jack's Storage Watch," Qwark muttered.

He equipped the Bomb Glove and blindly threw one over his shoulder.

The shooting stopped and--

BOOM!

Qwark looked over.

Al came charging with his laser sword.

Qwark rolled to the side.

VVVIIIIIIIIIIIUM-**CRACK!**

Al sliced the rack on half.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Skidd fired at Qwark.

The costumed man ran behind random objects, resulting in them exploding.

Skidd stopped firing, the barrel of his Blaster smoking.

Qwark picked up a barbell and removed the weights. Now, it looked like a bow-staff.

Skidd pulled the trigger.

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!

Qwark smirked. "HA! You're outta ammo!"

Al approached Skidd's side and pulled a Spitting Hydra from his belt.

Qwark sweatdropped. "I guess Ratchet's not the only one with weapons."

ZAA-AA-AAP-CRA-ACK!

Qwark's 'bow-staff' was broken in two. The superhero looked at the smoking ends which once met.

Al charged up his weapon again, but before he could release, Qwark threw a bomb at his and Skidd's feet.

BOOM!

The blast sent them back a few feet.

Clank.

Skidd discarded the Blaster.

Al threw him a Pyrociter.

Skidd ran forward.

FWOOOOOOOMB!

Qwark ran backwards, his sight never leaving the flamethrower.

Skrunch pressed something on the Storage Watch on Qwark's wrist. The N90 Hurricane materialized in Qwark's hand electronically. Qwark didn't bother thanking Skrunch; he just fired.

RAT-A-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

CHINK!

The Pyrociter fell out of Skidd's hands.

Weaponless, he charged forward. Bad idea.

CLUTCH! While Skrunch held the N90 Hurricane, Qwark gripped Skidd's fist. Skidd tried with the other--CLUTCH! Qwark caught that one with his other hand--which was still equipped with the Bomb Glove. Skidd tried kicking Qwark in the crotch. Qwark was way ahead of him; he had one leg up.

Skrunch traveled down Qwark's arm and landed on Skidd's head. He pulled and--

TWOP!

--the antenna came off.

Skidd's eyes changed back to normal as he fell limp. Qwark let go of him and got ready for Al. Skrunch stood on his shoulder.

But Al was gone.

Instead of searching, Qwark ran to the broken door and prepared a decent bomb.

Suddenly--

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz-zzzzzzttt!.!.!.!.!.!

Al came out of nowhere with a sparking taser.

Qwark and Skrunch's eye/s bulged.

ZZZZZZZTTTTT!

* * *

**PHOOOOOOOOOM-_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Slim smirked, holding a Megarocket Cannon.

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

Rangers shot at him from behind.

Slim flipped over every shot and equipped a Plasma Storm. He fired.

FWOOOM! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!

More rangers from the right.

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

Slim hid behind an overturned table.

"They just keep coming," he said. "But……from where?"

He popped one tentacled eye around the table. He caught a glimpse of something.

TWASH!

His eye 'ducked'.

He smirked. "Behind the cafeteria."

Slim equipped a Glove of Doom.

He ran from a random side of the table.

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

Slim ducked all the shots and threw five metal spheres.

ZZZA-AAAA-A!

"_Heh heh heh heh heh," _the agents laughed, sniffed, jumped and ran towards the rangers.

The cafeteria was suddenly riddled with small explosions.

BOOM! BO--OOOM! B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.! BOOOOOOOOOM! BOOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OO-OM!.!.!.! BOOM! BBBBBBBBBBBBOOMMMMMMMM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Slim equipped a Walloper.

POW!

He broke through the door which led to the fridge.

"?"

What made him curious was a large hole in the wall to his left. It was the perfect size for a ranger to pass through.

And pass through he did.

TWASH!

An unexpected blast struck him in the ankle.

"AAAAAAAAGH!" Slim cried in pain as unnatural, grey blood seeped out. He slumped to his knees and looked forward.

Rangers stood in the middle of the hall, aiming their arm guns.

Slim quickly equipped an Ultrasheild Launcher and tossed a glowing object.

The object formed a 'shield', protecting Slim from the mind-controlled rangers' fire. It didn't inflict damage on them, because they where too far away.

Slim took out some Nanotech and dropped some on his bloody ankle. He relaxed. Then he frowned.

"Alright, I'm gonna find the source of this," he said.

He equipped a R.I.N.O. II just as the 'shield' wore off.

* * *

Angela fired her laser. 

Whreeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

CLANG!

Ratchet deflected with his wrench.

Angela threw a ball.

POP! FWOOOOOOOMB!

Ratchet jumped.

Angela threw more balls.

Ratchet jumped over all of them.

"Now, Clank!"

Ratchet jumped and was given some more lift thanks to Clank and his Heli-pack mode.

He grabbed the glider. Angela looked down and pivoted left and right to shake the lombax off. Then, she stood still. Ratchet found out why.

Sasha--who had just recovered from a blow done to her earlier--had picked up a chair and flung it at Ratchet and Clank.

Ratchet swung forward and managed to avoid the seat.

Angela aimed her ray gun at Ratchet's hand. Ratchet felt heat near his digits and let go with that one.

STOMP!

Angela stepped on Ratchet's other hand.

Ratchet hissed in pain and let go.

WHUP!

He landed on his back. Some of the blow was absorbed by Clank.

Sasha stood over him, her foot raised.

"!.!.!" Ratchet rolled to his right.

STOMP!

Sasha's foot hit where Ratchet's heart was a second ago. Ratchet got to his feet and--

WHUP!

--absorbed a punch with his left arm.

WHAP!

Ratchet kicked her in the chest.

Sasha jumped and landed on the higher level of the Bridge.

Ratchet knew what that meant.

POP! FWOOOOOOOOOOMB!

Ratchet jumped and avoided Angela's wave of fire.

THWAB!

Angela ran her glider straight into Clank's back.

Ratchet fell on his front.

"I can't believe I'm getting my ass kicked by the only two women who I was ever really good friends with."

"Look out, Ratchet!"

Ratchet moved forward on all fours just to avoid Sasha's boot.

STRIKE!

Ratchet stood up.

Whreeeeeeeeeeee-ZAP!

Ratchet ducked the laser fire.

And that was when he got an idea.

He equipped his Swingshot.

Sasha ran forward with a fist.

POW-CLANK!

It missed Angela and hit the ceiling.

FWOOOOOSH!

Ratchet rose, missing Sasha's fist.

He came straight at Angela.

WHAP!

He kicked her in the chest, causing her to lose her balance.

Ratchet caught her with his free arm and gripped the glider with his feet. He landed near a computer console.

Sasha came running.

Ratchet threw Angela's glider at her.

WHUMP!

Sasha was hit hard.

Angela struggled in Ratchet's grip.

The lombax grabbed the antenna on her head and--

TWOP!

--pulled it off.

Angela lost consciousness.

Ratchet gasped.

"It is okay, Ratchet," Clank said as he detached himself from the lombax's back. "My scanners say that she is exhausted."

"Why?" Ratchet asked.

"It is an aftereffect from the mind-control device. Anyone who is under the control of these antennas will be deprived of several amounts of energy after being freed from them. This happens to both organic life-forms and robots."

"Okay," Ratchet said. Clank reattached himself to the lombax's back. "Let's go and help Sasha."

* * *

SLAP! 

Qwark slapped the Spitting Hydra out of Al's hand.

The techno genius jumped back and pulled out his laser sword from his belt.

VIIIIIIIUUUUUUM!

He charged forward.

CLANG!

The laser sword collided with the N90 Hurricane which Qwark was holding at a horizontal angle.

Al removed one hand and reached into his belt with it. He pulled out a bomb.

WHAP!

He kicked Qwark in the shin and hurled the bomb at him.

Clutching his wounded leg, Qwark hopped out of the way.

_**BOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

**_

THWACK! 

Slim just sliced off the last ranger in the hall's head off with his Multi-Star, when he heard something.

"An explosion?"

He headed towards the sound of the blast.

* * *

"Ah ak oooh ooh aak!" 

"What do you mean 'don't go through the hole'?"

"Akk ah oooohh!"

"Oh alright."

Qwark ran to avoid Al's laser sword.

VIII-III-IIIIIIII-IIIIIIII-UUUUM!

Al spun his weapon amateur-like, but still deadly enough to--

VIIIIIIIUM-CRACK!

--render a treadmill useless.

Qwark tried doing what he did before--

CLUTCH!

--and it worked.

He grabbed the laser sword by its hilt.

"Okay, Skrunch," Qwark said to his monkey friend, "get that antenna off him."

Al seemed to have heard that, because he was fishing in his pocket with his free hand. He pulled out his taser.

"!" Qwark let go of the laser sword's hilt and kicked Al in the chest.

WHAP!

The former roboshack-owner dropped his laser sword, flew out of the hole in the wall and--

WHUMP!.!.!.!.!.!

--crashed into Slim.

"AAAAAH!" Slim fired his Heavy Lancer by accident.

PING!

The bullet hit the ceiling and--

BONK!

--caused a small piece of it to fall on Qwark's head.

"Ow," the superhero rubbed his head. He noticed the current situation and yelled, "Jack, the antenna!"

Slim wrapped his arm around Al's neck. The yellow man struggled, but remained stationed thanks to the tyhrranoid's unnatural strength.

TWOP!

Slim pulled the antenna off and Al fell unconscious.

The unconscious man was kicked off.

Qwark came running from the hole, Skrunch on his shoulder.

"Jack, we gotta do something!" Qwark exclaimed. "The mind-control devices are--!"

"On the Phoenix," Slim interrupted, "I know. Dr. Heinous must have snuck aboard the Phoenix when we where on Tabora."

"But how? He was watching the fight the whole time!"

"Then someone else must have done it. You said he said he was using Thugs-4-Less."

"That's true."

Slim looked at Al. He then saw Skidd.

"So…you fought Skidd and Al?" he asked.

"Yeah. Who did you fight?"

"Rangers in the cafeteria. Since they're robots, I had an excuse to use my weapons and blow them to smithereens."

"Think Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious are in the same situations?"

"I don't see why not."

"We should go find them."

"No."

"Why not?.?.?.?.?.?"

"When I was fighting the rangers, more and more just kept coming. I was following the trail, when I heard the bomb that got me here. Heinous could have built a machine that makes those mind-control devices. Someone could be running the machine. We have to shut it down."

Qwark thought then nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

"Follow me."

* * *

FLASH! WHAP! FLASH! WHUMP! FLASH! THWAP! 

Lawrence was continuously teleporting and hitting Nefarious from all angles.

Nefarious knelt down and panted.

"I can't believe……I'm……being beaten by my own……butler."

Nefarious resorted to drastic measures and coated himself in a shield.

He half-smiled. "Can't get me now, can you?"

Nothing happened.

Nefarious found it had to keep the shield up. And soon, the shield was gone.

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared in front of him and punched him in the chest.

POW!

FLASH!

He disappeared.

Nefarious fell on his back. He looked up and ceiling with weak eyes.

"Can't……go on," he wheezed. "Too……weak."

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared at Nefarious' head. He raised his foot.

Nefarious grinned. "Sike!"

SWOOOOOSK-GRIP!

He grabbed Lawrence's foot.

Before the butler could teleport, Nefarious flung him into a wall.

SWOOOOOOOOOSH-WHAM!

Nefarious got to his feet in a heartbeat.

Lawrence prepared to press the button on his arm which would allow him to teleport--

WHAP!

Nefarious plowed his hand into Lawrence's, trapping it against the wall.

WHAP!

He did the same with the other.

Lawrence struggled. It was futile.

CLAMP!

Nefarious had the antenna in his mouth.

TWOP!

He pulled the antenna off.

Lawrence fell limp. Nefarious released him.

"PTOOIE!" he spat the mind-control device out of his mouth.

He ran to the door and charged up and blue ball of energy. He threw it.

BLAAAM!

The door exploded.

Nefarious ran out.

* * *

BLAM! 

Qwark fired the Blitz Gun at a ranger, destroying it instantly.

"Wow, Qwark, you're pretty good with the weapons I gave you," Slim remarked.

"Does that mean I can keep them?" Qwark beamed.

Slim narrowed his eyes. "No."

Qwark's antenna dropped.

"Ah ah!" Skrunch pointed.

Slim and Qwark nodded. They neared a closed door. The sound of machinery could be heard.

"What's in there?" Slim asked.

"It's the temperature room," Qwark said. "In there, there is a machine that controls the ship's temperature."

"Really?" Slim asked sarcastically.

"Mmhmm," Qwark obviously didn't get it.

"Well, it sounds like there's another machine in there," Slim said.

"Then let's go in."

"Hold it! I gotta equip first."

Slim took out a Mini-Nuke.

"Done."

"On the count of three……"

"One…"

"…two…"

* * *

_**BOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

A pair of double-doors exploded. Qwark--with a screeching Skrunch on his shoulder--and Slim ran through the smoke. When they opened their eyes they froze and stared.

The room was ridiculously spacious. The temperature control machine was at the very end of the room. It had knobs, dials, buttons, levers…the works.

What was striking was the enormous mechanism that was spitting out rangers with antennas while normal ones were being put in. All the rangers were turned off at the time. The machine was a big box-shaped thing with two conveyer belts; one leading in and the other leading out. It had a ladder which led to a small catwalk. And the catwalk was where the controls could be seen.

But that wasn't even the half of it.

There where people.

Several of them.

All Phoenix staff.

All here.

All mind-controlled.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay," Slim lowered his weapon. "First, we'll stop the rangers from being mind-controlled, then you'll free all these people while I shut the machine down. Okay?"

"Uh huh," Qwark kept staring.

"Good."

SWOOOOOOOOSH! Slim blurred forward, putting away his Mini-Nuke.

Qwark chased after him.

The blue-eyed workers all sprung into action. Seeing that they were weaponless, they had to rely on their own bodies.

Slim passed them all, but he did bother to pull of some antennas.

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-TWOP!

Several bodies fell, tripping many others.

Qwark and Skrunch went to work. The monkey was thrown at a random person and starting freeing people.

TWOP!

Skrunch hopped from person to person, using the big number of people present to his advantage.

TWOP!

Qwark pulled an antenna off a cubical worker. He pulled of another and another.

TWOP! TWOP!

WHAP!

Slim punched a random person without looking. He was nearing the conveyer belt which took things in. At the moment, it wasn't taking anything in.

Slim equipped a Chopper and fired a single blade.

TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!.!.!.!.!.!.!

The blade flew and--

TINK!

--wedged itself between two rollers, stopping them.

GROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAN-CRAAAAAAAAACK!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

The conveyer belts were destroyed……but the machine was still operational. Slim had to get to the top if he wanted to shut it down.

He was about to run to the ladder, when--

GRIP!

--a random worked grabbed him from behind. Then another and another and another and another. It soon became a dog-pile, one which Slim couldn't free himself from.

POW! Qwark punched his way through the pile, pulling off some antennas in the process.

TWOP! TWOP! TWOP!

He 'rescued' Slim from the pile.

"It's alright, Jack!" Qwark said. "Skrunch and I have it covered!"

Slim gave a thumb's up. He ran and started climbing the short ladder. When he was at the top, Qwark threw a bomb.

BOOM!

The ladder blew up, preventing anyone from climbing.

The superhero returned to removing antennas.

TWOP! TWOP! TWOP! TWOP! TWOP! TWOP!

Slim approached the machine's console--

BUMP!

--and fell on his butt.

"What the Hell?.!.?.!" he reached a hand forward and touched something. He frowned, "Force-field."

A beat.

He sensed something. He turned around. He blinked confusingly.

Bob the janitor stood, armed with a utility belt of cleaning products. The blarg had an antenna and solid blue eyes.

Slim noticed something.

Bob was carrying a remote in his pocket.

"Hey there, Bob," Slim said. "Mind if I borrow that remote?"

Bob pulled out a metal mop and held it like a bow-staff.

Slim sweatdropped. "Guess not."

Bob ran forward, spinning his mop like a fan.

Slim jumped over him and kicked off his back.

WHAP!

The tyhrranoid landed gracefully, leaned against the railings and equipped a metal bow-staff from his Storage Watch.

"Since you're old, I won't use any weapons."

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

A toilet brush flew at him, spinning horizontally.

Slim barely ducked.

"And since you've been in the war, it'll all even out, right?"

Bob ran forward.

CLANG!

Slim blocked the vertical attack.

Bob swung his foot low.

Slim jumped.

Bob swung again.

Slim jumped again.

Bob swung again.

Slim frowned, jumped over the janitor with a foot sailing at his back.

GRIP!

Bob caught it without looking and spun himself around, spinning Slim around.

Slim spun horizontally in midair.

CLANK!

He jabbed one end of his staff at the catwalk's floor, stopping himself. For a second, the white tyhrranoid was balancing on only a rod.

Bob swung his mop--

CLANGG!

--knocking off Slim's balance.

Tap.

Slim landed in a single-armed handstand.

WHOOOOSH!

He swung his staff with his free hand.

CLUNK!

Bob blocked with his mop. He held the cleaning tool over his head and 'mopped' at Slim's head.

WHAP!

His mop touched bare metal.

This was so, because Slim hand pushed off and landed in a nimble squat near the force-field.

He charged forward, pole-vaulted over Bob and kicked at his back.

Bob ducked and grabbed Slim's ankles. He swung the tyhrranoid over his head and threw him.

FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FWOOOOOOOOSH!

_**GRIP!.!.!**_

Slim prevented himself from falling off the catwalk by grabbing the railings with his free hand.

Slim pulled himself up just in time to--

CLANK!

--block a horizontal swipe from Bob.

The blue-eyed blarg pulled his mop back and swung vertically.

Slim crawled forward.

WHAP!

The mop missed.

Bob tried the same move again.

Slim rolled.

WHAP!

Bob missed again.

Slim shot his foot out.

TWOOOOOOOSH-TRIP!

He managed to trip Bob.

The janitor grabbed a railing for support.

CLANG!

Slim knocked the mop out of his hands.

The tyhrranoid swung at the blarg's right chest.

GRIP!

Bob caught the bow-staff.

Slim's three eyes bulged.

Bob threw the staff at the force-field--Slim along with it.

"AAA--!"

WHUMP!

Slim rubbed his eye-stems. He got to his feet and glared at Bob.

Bob's zombie-like face stared back at him. He pulled out a two toilet brushed which were linked with a chain. He spun the around like nunchucks.

Slim sweatdropped. "You gotta be kidding me."

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOSH!

Bob kept spinning.

Slim shrugged, ran at him and aimed low.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOSH-CLANK!

Bob's 'nunchucks' wrapped around Slim's metal bow-staff.

The janitor pulled and--

TWISH!

--pried the weapon out of Slim's hands ("Hey!") and into the brawl going on below.

Bob flung one toilet brush at Slim's head.

GRIP!

Slim caught it and pulled.

Crack!

The chain broke.

Bob prepared to equip another cleaning utensil.

"Oh no, you don't!" Slim jumped over the janitor, grabbed the antenna and--

TWOP!

--pulled it off.

Bob fell unconscious.

Slim smiled and threw the antenna over his head. He reached into Bob's pocket and pulled out the remote.

Click.

Slim approached the console and didn't bump into anything.

He thought for a moment. He then equipped his Hacker and tried getting through.

Meanwhile…

TWOP! TWOP! TWOP! TWOP!

Qwark pulled off antenna after antenna.

But no matter how much he pulled off, there seemed to be more mind-controlled workers.

"How many damn staff does this ship have?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"

Suddenly--

BLAAAM!

A part of the wall broke down.

And…

"SURPRISE, SQUISHIES!.!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious yelled, hovering above the chaos.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see him," Qwark silently said.

* * *

Sasha punched. 

Ratchet blocked.

Sasha kicked

Ratchet blocked.

Sasha charged.

CLUTCH!

Ratchet grabbed her arm and threw her over him.

Sasha flipped in the air, landed in a handstand and spun herself around.

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHUP!.!.!.!.!.!

Several booted kicks hit Clank.

Ratchet spun around and--

GRAB!

--garbed Sasha's left ankle.

He flung her half way.

Sasha gripped her chair and used the momentum to shot Ratchet forward instead.

The lombax lost his grip on the cazar and--

WHAP!

--hit a chair.

"So this is where being her ex-boyfriend gets me."

FWOOOOOSH!

Sasha came at Ratchet with a flying kick.

Ratchet ducked. As the captain hit the chair, she grabbed it and flung her booted feet at Ratchet. The lombax stood up and ran forward.

"Okay, I'm getting sick of this!"

Ratchet jumped up and landed near Qwark's chair. He made a run for the door--

Plant.

Sasha landed in his way.

Ratchet screeched to a stop. He backed up against Qwark's chair. At the moment the costumed man's chair was facing Ratchet.

Sasha charged.

Ratchet jumped and widened his legs so his feet could land on the armrests.

WHAM!

Sasha's fist hit the air.

GRIP!

Ratchet grabbed the antenna on her head and--

TWOP!

--pulled it off.

Sasha fell face-first into the seat.

Ratchet sighed, relieved.

* * *

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

At Heinous' base……

Heinous, Albert, Raxamis, Sandy and the thug where in the scientist's room, watching a big screen.

They had seen what happened thanks to Sandy, who hacked the security cameras.

Right now, they witnessed Nefarious, Qwark, Slim and Skrunch beat the massive army.

The mind-control devices were no more.

Heinous growled. **_"DAMMIT! THAT PLAN SHOULD HAVE--!"_**

"_I think it's a great idea if Dr. Heinous destroys organic life."_

"_You're just saying that, because you're a robot."_

"_Shut up, motherf--!"_

SLAP!

Albert slapped the mad robot.

"**_--WORKED!" _**Heinous panted.

The large screen displayed static…..then it displayed the thug Leader's emotionless face.

His left eye twitched as he said_, "I knew your little stunt would fail."_

"That was a perfect plan!" Heinous pointed.

"_Then why did it fail? Face it, Heinous, it wasn't a good plan."_

"It wasn't a total loss! We can still see what their cameras can see!"

"_Only until Sasha gets overprotective and decides to check."_

"I don't see you thinking of anything!"

"Yeah, you tell him, Uncle!" Raxamis cheered and was ignored.

"_I'm only hired to protect. But if you want an idea, I suggest you start thinking of ways to separate them."_

"How?"

"_Now 'how'; 'who'. Start with Vincent, Ratchet and Clank. I can give you a reasonable place to fight them. Along with a plan."_

Heinous raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

* * *

Man, that took all day. R&R. 


	33. Catch us if you can

Michael LIu said the thug Leader doesn't talk like that. Of course he doesn't. The fight with Ratchet and Clank has changed him for life. He's lost almost all emotion, he's become very aware and to top that all off, his eye twitches. You'll find out more about him later.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-three: Catch us if you can**

_Schwishh._

A pair of double-doors opened.

Flanked by four rangers, Nefarious walked in. Each ranger stood in a corner of the plain room. Nefarious took a seat at the end of a metal table.

Across him sat none other than Courtney. Her hands dangled on either side on her. She kept her golden eyes on the tabletop, not wanting to give Nefarious so much as a glance.

There was an eerie silence before Nefarious spoke.

"Hey, Courtney. Err….how are you?"

"……….," Courtney didn't answer. She didn't even move.

"Al did a check on you," Nefarious said as he put his hands on the table. "He said you're A-Okay. It was nice that you cooperated without questions. You're the same as you were before Ratchet and Klunck screwed you over."

"………," Courtney seemed to glare at Nefarious without facing him.

Nefarious noticed. "That wasn't an actual quote."

"……….," not even a smirk.

Nefarious poked his chin with his index finger. "Um…Qwark told me what happened. How you had refused to join Jeremy--that's Heinous' first name--because I was against him. That was very…err…honorable. Thanks"

"………."

"A funny thing happened when Ratchet, Clank, Jack, Qwark and the monkey came back," Nefarious made a small smile. "Everyone else was under Jeremy's control. Even Lawrence. I had to fight him…… Man, he can fight."

"………"

Nefarious frowned. "Alright, what do I have to do to make you talk?"

"………."

"Answer me, dammit!"

"………."

"……….."

"……..why?"

Nefarious blinked.

Courtney had actually spoken. She lifted her head and glared at Nefarious with frowning, golden eyes.

"'Why' what?"

"Why are you joining the squishies?"

"Jeremy didn't tell you?"

"No……he didn't."

"……It's a long story."

"I have plenty of time," Gears said bitterly.

"Dr. Heinous is my stepbrother. We've been together ever since I was seven-years-old. He's tormented me ever since I was seven-years-old. He copied me, made fun of me, spread false rumors about me--every possible, miserable thing you could ever imagine. Since I was defeated a year ago, Jeremy decided to destroy all organic life in Solana. Ratchet lost in a battle, but survived…unfortunately. The squishies found out that I wasn't really gone after the second Biobliterator exploded. What really happened, was Lawrence teleported us somewhere which was too far away to get to other planets. Anyway, we were found and given a choice; either fight Jeremy, or go back to where we where. And I thought 'What a way to get back at Jeremy after all those years of torment!'. Long story short, revenge is sweet."

Courtney looked down at the table again. "I see."

"Just so you know, it's not permanent."

Courtney looked back up.

"I only agreed to join the squishies, because I can get back at Jeremy. I don't really like them, you know."

"…….," Courtney looked back down.

"So, are we cool?"

"…….."

"Is everything peachy?"

"………………………………………………………..No."

"What?"

"I said 'no'," Courtney replied through clenched teeth.

"I don't understand," Nefarious looked unhappy.

"You're joining the enemy," Courtney said. "You said you wouldn't for any reason whatsoever!" her voice rose.

The rangers shifted uncomfortably.

This time, Nefarious looked down.

"I know, but I'm desperate. I--"

"NO EXCUSES!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

CLAMP!.!.!.!.!.!

Courtney's fists slammed on the table.

The rangers behind her put their hands on shoulders.

She calmed down and said. "I don't want to talk anymore."

Nefarious nodded. "I understand, but may I ask one more question?"

"What?"

"You won't leave, will you?"

"I don't have a choice," Courtney quietly responded. "One of the things Dr. Heinous told me was that we are in another galaxy. Solana is my home and this ship is my only way there."

"Okay then," Nefarious stood up. "We're done."

He signaled at a window behind him.

_Schwishh._

The double-doors opened.

Sasha walked in, holding an icepack to her head.

She nodded at the rangers.

Courtney stood up and was escorted out of the room.

"Coming, Nefarious?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah," Nefarious started walking out the door.

Sasha followed.

The scientist and captain walked down a hall together.

Nefarious sighed. "So, how's the fixing going?"

"Fine," Sasha replied bluntly. "Al just got done fixing the security cameras."

"What about the other people."

"Same as me," Sasha pointed at the icepack on her head, "pounding headaches--ow."

"And Lawrence and Helga?"

"Al checked them and said they were okay."

Nefarious sighed sadly.

Sasha noticed. "What?"

"It's Courtney. She hates me for joining you squishies. And…I don't blame her," he frowned. "I can't believe I've been with you losers for so long."

Sasha ignored the rude comment.

Suddenly a ranger came running round a corner they were heading for.

"Captain Sasha!" the ranger called as he ran towards the two.

"What is it?" Sasha asked.

The ranger screeched to a stop. "Dr. Heinous has transferred a holographic signal to the Bridge!"

Nefarious' and Sasha's eyes widened.

"Let's go," Sasha said.

"It's pointless," the ranger said.

"Why?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"Cuz the transmission ended as quickly as it started."

"What do you mean?"

"Dr. Heinous only called here to say where he was going."

"Where?"

"Planet Dobbo."

Sasha looked confused. "But my studies said that that planet has no raritanium."

"Who cares?.!.?.!" Nefarious exclaimed. "Jeremy's gonna be there!"

"Where on Planet Dobbo?" Sasha asked the ranger.

"Some place called 'Megacorp Testing Facility'."

"Then let's go!" Nefarious seemed restless.

"Hold on," Sasha looked doubtful. "It could be trap."

"Whatever it is, I can take it!"

"He just said where he would be?"

"Yes, Captain. That AND he wanted to tell Nefarious something."

"What?" Nefarious raised an eyebrow.

"Fat Camp."

"…….."

"…….," Sasha stared at Nefarious, confused.

"……," the ranger did the same.

Nefarious rubbed the back of his head, embarrassingly. "I……had a small……weight problem when I was sixteen."

"………skt," the ranger held back a snigger.

Sasha strained to keep the edges of her lips from curving upwards.

Nefarious frowned. "Aw, shut up."

* * *

Heinous, Albert, Raxamis and Sandy walked out of the blue ship. Heinous gave a thumb's up to the ship's front window and the vessel ascended in response. 

"We're here," Heinous said. "Now, let's get to the enlargen machine like the thug Leader told us."

"I thought you were telling the thug Leader what to do," Albert pointed as he said.

"He _suggested_, Albert," Heinous rolled his eyes. "They can't do it, cuz they're organic."

"Speaking of which, will we be meeting any thugs this time?"

"Only one, and he has a small role. Then there's Agent J. He's around here somewhere, but he only wants to assassinate Ratchet and Clank."

"Ahhhhh."

"I suggest we quit wasting time and get there already!" Raxamis said. "I wanna fight Ratchet again."

"Then let's go," Heinous said.

The four robots barely walked before they found a taxi.

"This should take us there," Albert said.

"Yeah, let's go," Heinous said.

Raxamis blinked. "But what about the defense robots?"

"What about them, Raxamis?" Heinous half-glanced at his step nephew.

"Why don't we fight them as a warm-up?"

"And waste time? This plan could very well be the most important fight of our lives! Once this is done, it'll be like we're half-way there."

"I see what you mean," Raxamis looked defeated.

"Good. Now, get on this taxi. You too, Albert, Sandy!"

After everyone was on, the overcrowded vehicle hovered away.

* * *

Later, Ratchet, Clank and Nefarious walked down a dropship's ramp. 

Ratchet gave a thumb's up and the vessel ascended in response.

"So……," Ratchet tried to make conversation, "……….Qwark and Jack didn't come, because….."

"They should stay in the Phoenix encase Jeremy tries anything sneaky again," Nefarious said.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

A few yards away…

Agent J sat in a rowboat. He put the oars down and searched in his Storage Watch for a descent weapon.

"………."

He found one.

"Bingo," the thug smirked.

He had equipped the Vaporizer again.

He flattened himself against the wood and popped his head and weapon over the edge.

The side of Ratchet's face was visible.

Agent J tongued his cheek.

"You won't get away this time, you slippery, little marsupial."

His green finger tightened around the trigger--

POP!

He blinked, lowering his weapon. He looked at the ship's floor and did a double-take.

Water was spraying into the boat from a small hole in the floor.

"How'd that happen?" the assassin asked himself.

He casually pressed a button on his Storage Watch and a handful of sticky goo materialized.

CLAMP!

He stuck the sticky substance into the hole.

"This isn't a cartoon," he said.

He got back in the position he was in before he was interrupted.

"………struth," Ratchet and Clank where out of sight.

Suddenly--

**CHOMP!**

"?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?" he looked at the other side of the boat.

His eyes widened.

A shark was biting at the boat.

WHACK!

Agent J slammed his Vaporizer on the shark's head.

The shark glared at him with solid, yellow eyes.

**CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!**

Almost all of the boat was gone.

Agent J was about to equip a weapon, when he realized it was futile.

SPLASH!

He fell in the cold water.

"G-G-Good th-th-thing this watch is waterproof," he said.

A dorsal fin headed for him.

Agent J's eyes bulged.

The assassin started swimming freestyle to the nearest island, panting and screaming madly.

* * *

"I think I saw a ship," Heinous said from where he stood at the edge of the island. "Let's get going." 

"Right," Raxamis said. A beat. "Where are we going, again?"

"Lunar City," Heinous replied. "It's a moon which orbits this planet. On it, there's a city. Don't worry; the city's fake. Only used for fights, so we can destroy as many buildings as we like. Once we leave, Megacorp's robots will come and build a new city."

"How convenient," Albert mused.

"Why didn't we go there straight away?" Raxamis asked.

Heinous smiled. "I'm glad you asked that question." He walked towards a yellow circle. "Behold!.!.!.!.!.!"

"What is it, sir?" Albert eyed the device curiously.

"That's the enlargen machine," Heinous said as if he built it himself. "It's different from the ones in our galaxy."

"What's the difference?"

"It makes any robot that uses it more powerful than the ones in Solana."

"Who'll be using it?" Raxamis asked.

"Sandy!" Heinous pointed at the sand shark.

Sandy looked nervous.

Heinous knelt besides her. "Don't worry, Sandy," he said. "We'll be able to change you back."

The sand shark nodded.

"Step on the machine, girl."

Sandy did so.

Her legs grew wide.

Her head grew after it.

Robotic arms grew by her sides.

Albert's lips parted.

Raxamis' jaw dropped.

"Ready to ride?" Heinous asked with a smirk.

"Hell yes!.!.!.!.!" Raxamis jumped excitedly.

"Where will we ride?" Albert asked.

"In the cockpit," Heinous said.

"She has a cockpit?.?.?.?" Raxamis' grin only widened.

Heinous nodded. He looked at Giant Sandy. "Open the cockpit, please."

Sandy turned so her left side could face the group. A piece of her head slid to the side and a ramp descended.

Raxamis ran up, Heinous and Albert walked up.

The ramp contracted and the door closed.

* * *

"How come Sandy has a cockpit inside her when she is like this?" Albert asked. 

At them moment, Raxamis was looking at all the flashing lights.

"Because I programmed it in her, encase we'd ever be in a situation like this," Heinous said.

"Again?"

"Hey, I have to do something to pass the time."

"I see."

"Take a seat."

The room was just the right size for the robots.

Raxamis took of his cape and rested it on the back of the chair which he sat in. It was the right size.

Albert placed his rump on a chair to the left. Like Raxamis', it was his size.

And finally, Heinous sat in the middle chair. Nuf said.

There was a good amount of space between each seat.

"…."

"……"

"……"

"……"

"…….."

"……so…..what now?" Raxamis asked.

"We wait."

"Wait for what, sir?"

"Ratchet, Clank and Vince."

"I think they're here, Uncle!.!"

"Can they see us?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go!" Heinous pressed a button.

* * *

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Yellow fire erupted from Giant Sandy's feet.

The sand shark hovered a bit, then--

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--rose skyward.

Pl-Plant.

Ratchet and Nefarious landed on the protruding piece of metal.

"Aarhh!" Ratchet scowled. "We're too late."

"Not entirely," Clank said as he detached himself from Ratchet's back and ran to the scorched enlargen machine.

His hips downwards grew.

His torso spun and grew.

His head grew.

"Hop on," Giant Clank said.

Ratchet was given a lift by the giant. He was put in his place, which was Clank's back, holding onto two pipes.

"You coming, Nefarious?" Ratchet asked.

"Did you have to ask?" Nefarious was already hovering in the air.

He landed on Clank's head and held onto the robot's antenna for support.

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Blue fire erupted from Giant Clank's feet.

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The behemoth flew skyward, heading for the battle ahead.

* * *

I'm leaving you lot with a massive cliffhanger. I won't be updating so often, because school starts tomorrow. 

Sorry.

But you can expect a great fight.


	34. Lunar battle Part 1

And the award goes to……………………Michael LIu! Congratulations for giving this story its one hundredth review.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-four: Lunar battle, Part 1**

_**PLANT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Clank landed on Lunar City's curved road.

Sandy glared at him from across the road. Behind her lay pieces of a destroyed building.

The two colossal robots were the same height, more or less. Sandy's fin gave her extra height.

"_Ready to fight?" _Heinous voice came out of Sandy via loud speaker.

"I'm always ready!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious yelled back, holding onto Clank's antenna to prevent falling off.

"_Always ready to get your ass kicked by yours truly!.!.!.!"_

"_Yeah," _Raxamis' voice said. _"We'll destroy you with our new Megazord!"_

Everyone froze.

"……," Nefarious stared.

"….," Ratchet looked over Clank's massive shoulder.

"……….," Clank's mouth hung open a bit.

"…...," Sandy stood perfectly still.

"………_," _Heinous didn't say anything.

"……_," _and neither did Albert.

"_What?" _Raxamis sounded innocent.

"_You watch that crap?"_ Heinous asked.

"_Energy Rangers?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_No. I used to though. I got bored when the plot of almost every episode was the same."_

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaay," Nefarious would have sweatdropped if he had pores. "Let's fight."

"_Charge!.!.!.!.!"_

STOMP-STOPM-STOMP!

Sandy charged.

Clank held his arms up in an 'X' position.

WHANG!

Clank absorbed the blow of Sandy's head.

With her new arms, the giant sand shark grabbed Clank's and tried to twist them.

Clank noticed. He rammed himself into Sandy.

The sand shark lost her grip and stumbled back, denting the face of an apartment building.

Clank ran forward and did a three-hit combo.

POW-POW-**_POW!.!.!.!.!_**

_**CRUMBLE!**_

The entire apartment complex was destroyed.

Clank raised his fists at the ready.

Sandy held her arms forward. Compartments opened in her upper limbs and missile launchers rose.

Clank blinked.

**PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHWOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!**

Missiles flew.

Some hit Clank, damaging him a little. The giant robot jumped up high.

**PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHWOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!**

During his decent, he shot missiles of his own.

Just like Clank, Sandy was hit a few times. The gargantuan, robotic sand shark jumped backwards over a few buildings.

Clank landed in front of her and decided to hit her with his own fists. Sandy did the same.

* * *

Inside the sand shark, the cockpit rocked back and forth from the mêlée going on outside. 

Raxamis groaned. "This is getting boring! Can I go out and fight Ratchet."

"Sure you can," Heinous said as he pressed different buttons, "but Vince is all mine."

"Alright!"

"I'll make Sandy use her bigass bomb, causing Ratchet to fall off. Then you'll jump off and lead him inside a building. Both Clank and I will try hard to keep each other away from you two, so you'll have him all to yourself."

"Aces!" Raxamis stood up, leaving his cape by his chair and ran to the door.

"Sir, are you sure it's a good idea?" Albert looked doubtful.

"He's just a kid," Heinous said casually. "Let him have some fun."

* * *

POW! 

Sandy punched Clank.

The giant robot skidded back and prepared to shoot missiles.

Sandy opened her mouth wide and--

_**FLASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--threw an orange ball of energy without giving Clank time to jump.

**WHAM!.!.!.!**

As expected, Ratchet fell from Clank's back. Luckily, it was on his feet.

"Ratchet!" Clank turned around and called.

"It's okay, Clank!" Ratchet yelled. "I'm okay!"

"You won't be once I'm done with you."

"?.?.?.?" Ratchet looked in the direction of where the voice came. He frowned.

Raxamis stood, leaning against a pole of a luxury hotel's front canopy.

Ratchet looked back at Clank. "You go and fight Heinous. I'll take on this guy."

Clank nodded and aimed driving Sandy away from the area.

Ratchet looked back at Raxamis.

The robot was already inside.

Ratchet growled, equipped his wrench and ran in.

* * *

The lombax had no time to admire the lavish lobby, because he could already see Raxamis waiting for an elevator. The robot was whistling to himself. 

Ratchet growled and ran at him.

_Ding._

The elevator doors opened.

Before Raxamis walked in, he said, "Top floor, Ratchet."

He walked in and the doors closed.

Ratchet was too late.

He thought about using the stairs.

"………Nah."

He found a second elevator and pressed the button twenty-two times.

He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "ComeonComeonComeon…"

_Ding._

The elevator car arrived. Ratchet ran in and pressed the button to the top floor.

The doors closed.

Ratchet silently waited.

The elevator music was the only thing sounding as the elevator car rose higher to the fourteenth floor.

Ratchet examined his watch.

The elevator music got to a point where it played the same notes again.

Ratchet scratched behind his left ear.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited.

"………"

…………………………………

_Ding._

The doors slid open. Ratchet jumped out, bearing his wrench and teeth.

Nothing.

He looked left.

"……."

He looked right.

"……..?"

A door was cracked ajar.

Ratchet approached and walked in.

The room he was in was quite expensive. In fact, it was too big to be a room. It looked like a middleclass apartment.

Ratchet entered the living room. It was a random decision.

Ratchet noticed this room had a closet.

He opened it and--

"Surprise!" Raxamis plowed at him from inside.

Ratchet back-flipped just in time to avoid Raxamis' punch.

The lombax landed in a nimble squat near the room's door.

VIIIIIIIIIIIIUM!

Raxamis equipped a red laser sword.

"Been a long time, eh?" Raxamis grinned.

"Yeah, it has," Ratchet smirked. "Of course…it'll be different now."

Raxamis raised an eyebrow as his grin shrunk. "How?"

"I have more weapons now," Ratchet said. "Not that I'll need them, of course."

Raxamis frowned. "We'll see, squishy!"

He charged forward with a sideways slash.

Ratchet twirled his wrench and deflected.

CLANG!

He pulled back and slashed downward.

Raxamis stepped back, dodging the attack.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOOSH!

Ratchet performed a comet-strike.

Raxamis back-flipped and landed with one leg on a stereo and the other on the holo-vid.

Raxamis equipped his Rift Ripper.

Raxamis' eyes widened.

TWSH!

Ratchet fired.

Raxamis jumped to the side to avoid the artificial warp hole.

Ratchet prepared to fire again.

Raxamis noticed, picked up the closest object to him--a vase--and threw it.

Ratchet ducked, giving Raxamis enough time to--

"HAA!"

WHAP!

--kick the lombax in the chest.

Ratchet stumbled back.

Raxamis formed his arm into a laser cannon and fired.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Ratchet twirled his wrench and blocked.

CLANG!

Raxamis blinked. "How come you didn't fly back?"

Ratchet pointed downwards.

Raxamis looked.

The lombax was wearing Magneboots.

Raxamis frowned. "Cheater!"

Ratchet equipped his Megarocket Cannon and smirked.

"And proud of it!" he spoke above the charging.

**PHW-PHW-OOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOM!.!.!.!**

Raxamis had no time to dodge.

He held out two laser swords out in the shape of an 'X'.

_**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!**_

All four missiles struck him. Although part of the blow was absorbed by the rockets, Raxamis suffered a great deal of damage.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

He flew back.

CRASH!

The wall, window and lamp were destroyed.

Ratchet ran to the newly made hole and looked out.

Raxamis was being pushed further up. It didn't last for long, because the robot removed himself from the missiles, fell, grabbed onto a flag, let go and landed on the building in front. He gave the 'come on' sign.

Ratchet stepped back, took a deep breath, ran forward and jumped.

The building Raxamis was on was lower than the hotel, resulting in Ratchet having to wait for the right moment.

He waited.

Air--probably artificial--kicked at his face.

He waited.

The sound of the giant brawl going on could be heard on the other side of the City.

He waited.

He passed the tenth floor.

He waited.

His eyes watered from the rush of air flying into them

He waited.

Now!

Ratchet equipped his Swingshot.

POW!

The hook fired.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!.!.!

It swung around the flagpole Raxamis caught.

CLANK!

The hook caught on its metal rope.

SWOOOOOSH!

Ratchet flew at high-speed as his gadget retracted.

PLANT!

His feet 'caught' the pole. He jumped and as he did, the Swingshot retracted all the way. Ratchet landed on the roof of the building across the street of the hotel. The lombax looked around.

"……."

He spotted Raxamis leaning against an A/C unit. The robot was currently inspecting his nonexistent nails, humming an annoying tune. He probably noticed that Ratchet was on the same roof as him, because he looked up.

He smirked. "You're nothing without your toys."

"You use laser swords!" Ratchet retorted.

"That's not even a fifth of the arsenal you're spoilt with," Raxamis shot back. "I swear…...you're nothing without your weapons."

"I can beat you with only one," Ratchet growled.

"Whatever, dude," Raxamis shrugged. He stood up straight and equipped two laser swords--one blue and the other red--and joined them together by the hilts, forming a purple colour.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWIIIIISH!.!.!

He spun the double-bladed weapon and struck a deadly pose.

With only his wrench, Ratchet ran forward.

He swiped at Raxamis horizontally.

CLANCK!

As expected--and hoped for--Raxamis deflected.

SWOOOOOOSH!

Ratchet swung his foot low.

CLUTCH!

Raxamis caught it.

Ratchet's eyebrows rose.

Raxamis prepared to bend Ratchet's leg the wrong way while the two still had their weapons touching.

Ratchet got desperate, pulled back his wrench, avoided the swipe of the purple weapon and threw the tool at Raxamis' ankle.

WHACK!

"YAAAAAAH!" Raxamis hopped on his unhurt leg, and--

WHUMP!

--fell on his butt.

Ratchet picked his wrench up.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOOSH!

He did the comet-strike.

Raxamis flattened himself on the roof--his back facing down--and avoided the attack a second time.

"HIAAAAGH!" Ratchet came over him with a hyper-strike.

Raxamis rolled to the side.

WHAP!

The wrench missed.

ZAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAP!

Blue lasers came at Ratchet.

CLANG! CLANG!

Ratchet held his ground and deflected the first two with two side-swipes. He simply jumped over the third one.

Raxamis ran--

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWIIIIIIIIIISH!

CLIIII-IIIING!

Ratchet jabbed his wrench in the 'fan', stopping it.

"Hey!" Raxamis yelled. Cl-CLACK!

ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Raxamis fired a laser with his free hand.

Ratchet leaned his head to the side.

A beat.

Ratchet smelt smoke. "You really hate easy, don't you?"

"No, how else can you listen to my insults?" Raxamis simpered, the barrel of his laser-cannon-of-an-arm smoking. "I don't have the time to learn or speak with sign language."

"I see your point."

"….."

"……"

Five seconds of straining.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

……………………

GRIP!

Ratchet let go of his wrench with on hand and grabbed Raxamis' laser cannon limb.

The robot had no time to react.

Ratchet pushed the hand away so he could swing his leg low and hit Raxamis.

SWOOOOOOOSH-THWAP!.!.!.!

Raxamis fell backwards.

Still gripping his double-bladed laser sword, he landed in a fist/handstand.

SWIIIIIIIIIIIPE-SWIIIIIIIIPE-SWIIIII-IIIIII-IIIIIPE!.!.!

Ratchet ran forward, swiping his oversized tool.

Raxamis avoided with a series of flips.

Ratchet didn't stop swiping after him.

The two combatants were coming close the A/C unit from earlier.

Raxamis landed on his feet for the last time and--

CLANG!

--deflected Ratchet's wrench with his purple-coloured weapon.

The next few seconds were filled with the sounds of deflecting.

CLANG! CL-CL-CL-ING! CLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNK!

The both jumped back and stared at each other.

Ratchet panted.

Raxamis smirked.

"What……are you……….smiling at?" Ratchet asked.

"You're tired," Raxamis said simply.

"I still have a lot more energy in me," Ratchet said with one breath.

"I'm getting bored of this rooftop. Let's find another place to fight."

Ratchet smirked. "Lead the way…and if you stop……I won't wait."

"Fine by me."

Raxamis ran to the edge of the roof. He jumped over a narrow alley, landed on the other side and kept running.

Ratchet equipped his Charge boots and sped after him.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!

* * *

WHAP! 

Clank was uppercut.

GRIP!

He grabbed onto the side of a nearby building for support.

"Whoa!" Nefarious held onto Clank's antenna tight as he spun twice.

_**FLASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Sandy 'vomited' an orange ball of energy.

Clank jumped to avoid it.

**PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Sandy jumped over a block to her right, avoiding the missiles that were being thrown at her from above.

"_How can he be so fat and fast?" _Heinous' voice cackled.

**PLANT!**

Clank landed in the same road as Sandy. He raised his hand and flung a blue bomb.

_**FLASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Direct hit.

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!

Clank ran at Sandy and grabbed her head fin. He was trying to throw the overgrown sand shark, but she grabbed his waist and pushed.

Nefarious frowned after a few seconds passed. "This is taking too long."

* * *

The inside of the warehouse was very typical. It was hollow and filled with wooden crates. Although it was meant only for show, it gave the feeling of reality. And soon, it was going to go off with a bang…or in this case-- 

_ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!_

The sound of a familiar laser cannon could be heard from the warehouse's roof.

CRUMBLE!

A small piece of the ceiling fell. In its place, was a hole…with a lombax dangling from it while holding tight onto the edge to prevent falling.

STOMP!

"YAUCH!.!.!" Ratchet screamed as Raxamis stomped on his hands. He had no choice to let go…

CRASH!

…and land back-first on a stack of empty crates.

"Incoming!" Raxamis screamed as he dove into the hole, emerald claws extended.

Ratchet rolled to the side.

CRASH!.!.!.!

Raxamis struck nothing but wood and plenty of it.

Ratchet stood up and held his wrench ready.

Raxamis looked at him and the surroundings and smirked. "Just like the cartoons."

Ratchet equipped his Bomb Glove and threw several bombs.

VIIIIIIIUMM!

Raxamis equipped an orange laser sword. He held the weapon in front of his azure crystal.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Raxamis blinked. The bombs all missed their target.

"--?"

WHOOOOOOSH!

Ratchet flew at him, his left foot ready to kick.

Raxamis held his laser sword at him.

Plant.

Ratchet landed behind him.

Raxamis was about to kick--

WHOOOOOSH-TRIP!

--when Ratchet swung his foot low and tripped the robot.

Raxamis landed on his back, his head at Ratchet's feet.

Ratchet equipped his Multi-Star.

TWIIIII--**CATCH!**

Ratchet's eyes widened.

Raxamis had caught the star. He tossed to the side, morphed his arm into a laser cannon and fired.

ZAAAAAAAP!

Due to the fact that Ratchet appeared upside-down, Raxamis missed. However, Ratchet got the picture. He ran up some crates, jumped and landed on a wooden horizontal beam.

Raxamis stood upright, his arms both laser cannons.

ZAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAP!

Blue lasers flew at Ratchet.

The lombax sprang into action. Raxamis traveled up to his level.

He arched his body left, missing a laser. He flipped backwards, missing another one. CLANG! He deflected another, giving him extra speed. And the last one struck the ceiling, causing no damage other than a second hole.

And all this was happening while Ratchet was in midair. Between dodges, he landed on a wooden beam and jumped to another.

_Pl-plant._

He found a wall and kicked off it.

Raxamis was waiting for him.

Ratchet flew over him and--

THWAP!

--kicked off his back.

Raxamis teetered forward. He morphed both laser cannons on to arms and grabbed the wooden beam so he wouldn't fall off it. He growled, turned and jumped after Ratchet.

Ratchet was five beams ahead of the robot. He jumped a beam and in mid-jump, he equipped his Plasma Storm.

Raxamis grabbed onto a vertical beam to stop himself.

FWOOOOM!

Ratchet fired.

Raxamis did a back-dive and avoided the attack.

Ratchet frowned.

"…………"

From behind--

SWOOOOOOSH!

Plant.

Raxamis landed next to the lombax after performing a high jump.

Ratchet punched at him.

GRAB!

Raxamis caught the fist and hurled Ratchet into a stack of crates below.

CR-CRASH!

Ratchet groaned.

"Nnnnnnghh!" he forced himself to stand up.

ZAAAAAAAAAAP!

Raxamis fired from the beam he was still perched on.

Ratchet equipped his wrench, twirled it and deflected.

CLANG!

Then, he equipped his Devastator.

**PHWOOOOOM!.!.!**

Raxamis did the same move he used to avoid the Plasma Storm attack.

BOOM!

The beam was broken.

Ratchet waited. He was getting sick of waiting.

VIIIIIIIIUM!

He didn't have to wait long though.

CLUNK!

Ratchet avoided the wrath of a green laser sword from above by crouching and holding his wrench above him.

"NNNNNNGHH!" he pushed Raxamis off of him.

Raxamis landed, skidded on the ground and stopped himself with his free arm--

CL-CLACKKK!

--which turned into a laser cannon.

Ratchet was ready.

Raxamis aimed and--

_STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!_

--stopped.

He listened.

So did Ratchet.

_STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!_

Raxamis' eyes widened. "Uh oh." He ran.

Ratchet chased after him.

Using his arm, which was still a laser cannon, Raxamis blew a hole through a wall.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAP! CRUMBLE!

He ran through the newly made hole and into the streets.

Ratchet followed too, avoiding--

_**CRUNCH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--Sandy's plummeting body.

**PLANT!**

Giant Clank landed--destroying an apartment--after having thrown the giant sand shark from above.

The entire block was destroyed as the sand shark skidded.

"Ratchet!" Giant Clank noticed the lombax brushing himself off from all the dust. "Are you all right."

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Ratchet yelled to make his voice reach the colossal robot's nonexistent ears.

Sandy slowly stood up. She looked like she was about to collapse.

"_That's it!" _Heinous boomed from the inside. _"Time for plan B."_

"'Plan B'?" Nefarious remarked.

"_Raxamis, if you can hear me, come here now. We're leaving!"_

"Gimme a minute!"

Ratchet looked over.

Raxamis was running up the road towards the giant sand shark.

* * *

Inside Sandy, Heinous spoke into a communicator. 

"Alright, send it in."

"_Roger."_

He put the communicator away, grinning.

* * *

"_You're in for it now. I'm gonna use Plan B. HAHA!"_

"What's Plan B?" Clank asked.

"_You'll see."_

As if on cue, a small Thugs-4-Less dropship landed in the middle of the two sides.

Its door-ramp opened. And a single thug stepped out. In his reptilian hands, the thug held a metal box. Something was in there. It was obvious on account of the fact that the box was shaking violently.

The thug placed the box on the tarmac and pressed a single button on it.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

A red light started blinking from the button. The thug ran to the dropship as quickly as he could. The door closed and the ship hovered a few feet above the ground, not leaving yet.

The box kept shaking and beeping.

The heroes stared, ready for anything.

* * *

Heinous put the communicator away after giving an order. 

"Shouldn't we leave?" Albert asked.

"No, I wanna see this," Heinous replied.

"I'm back!" Raxamis said as he ran through the entrance--which was left open for him.

"Good, you're just in time to watch the show," Heinous couldn't stop grinning.

* * *

The box shook. 

Ratchet raised his wrench just to be safe.

"………."

Clank kept his distance, but still prepared to shoot missiles at anything that would appear dangerous to him.

"…………"

Nefarious grew more anxious. He still stood on Clank's giant head, holding the antenna as to not fall off.

"…………"

The box beeped and shook.

"_This fight will be your last."_

Nefarious was about to say something--

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

The box opened via lid on top with hinges.

Something jumped out.

Ratchet's eyes widened.

So did Clank's.

There.

Standing in the road.

Jumping.

And growling.

Bearing its sharp teeth.

Stomping two small legs which were the only limbs it had.

Antenna bouncing in rhythm with it.

Was none other than…

………………

……………………

…………………………

………………………………….

…the protopet.

But there was something different about it.

Instead of soft and fuzzy.

It was hard and metallic.

In other words.

It was a robot.

The little thing was currently attacking an innocent fire hydrant.

"Where did you get that?.!.?.!" Ratchet bellowed.

"_A Thugs-4-Less member took it from that lombax girl's house………… Angela, yes!"_

"Is that the same protopet?"

"_Mmhmm. I transformed it into a robot."_

"That's impossible!"

"_Boy, you have a short-term memory. I'm a robot and I used to be an organic fife-form. The same for Albert and this giant sand shark you see before you. What's to say that I can't do it to the protopet, A.K.A. Megacorp Experiment Thirteen?"_

"What's a protopet?" Nefarious bent down to ask Clank.

"I shall explain later."

"This is unbelievable," Ratchet groaned.

"_It gets less believable."_

"How?"

"_It's emitting a special frequency out of its antenna. A frequency that can interrupt signals. In a matter of seconds, there will be a field surround this move that doesn't allow electronic signals to pass through. You won't be able to call for help."_

"So?" Ratchet remembered something. "Clank can squash it."

"_Not quite."_

There was a pause. Heinous was doing something else.

Then…

"_Watch this."_

The dropship moved into position near the protopet.

A long object that resembled that of a satellite dish came from the bottom. It aimed at the protopet.

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

An orange beam shot at the protopet.

A flash of light.

Then…

"**RRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"**

Ratchet groaned again. "Great," he said sarcastically.

Instead of the protopet, there was the mutant protopet.

The thug ship left the moon.

"_Can we please just get to the fight?"_ Raxamis' voice asked.

"_No yet."_

"_But we're wasting time, Uncle!"_

"_I said NOT YET!"_

"Clank can still squash it," Ratchet said; the mutant protopet was the same size as before.

"_I don't think so. Get Clank first!"_

The robo mutant faced Clank, opened its mouth wide and--

_**FLASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Nefarious leapt off the robot and landed on a nearby rooftop.

Familiar sounds could be heard.

Ratchet's ears dropped. "Oh no," he whispered.

Clank was back to normal size.

The tiny robot 'gasped' and looked at himself.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! There are two more things for it to do--"_

"_Sir…"_

"_What?"_

"_It's aiming at us."_

"_What?.!"_

It was true; the protopet was aiming at Giant Sandy. At the moment, it was walking closer to get in range.

"_Stop!"_

It didn't stop.

"_Damn, it's not working!"_

"_Make Sandy move!"_

"_I can't; she needs to recharge after the fight. She's new to this."_

"_Then there's only one thing to do……let's get outta here!"_

"_I'm with you on that!"_

The mutant protopet was in range. It opened its mouth and shot the shrink ray.

_**FLASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The sounds of machinery shifting could be heard.

And……

Sandy was back to her small form, very weak.

She collapsed, coughing.

Heinous ran up to her and picked the sand shark up.

"How is she?" Raxamis asked.

"She's fine," Heinous said. "She just needs recharging, is all."

Plant.

Nefarious landed on the pavement and started running towards his stepbrother.

"What else does the protopet do?" Albert asked.

Heinous' eyes widened. "…shut down any robot within a ten-mile radius excluding itself."

"………"

"They'll turn back on after the protopet is defeated."

"………."

"We gotta destroy it and then find a way off this moon."

Ratchet and Clank heard everything.

Nefarious was too busy running.

"What's it doing now, sir?"

Heinous looked. "Charging the attack."

"…."

"……"

"This is not good," Raxamis, who had been listening, said.

FLASH!

Clank stopped.

Nefarious stopped.

Heinous stopped.

Albert stopped.

Raxamis stopped.

Sandy didn't change for obvious reasons.

Then…

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

Six robots fell to the ground, still in the same positions they were in.

Ratchet was the only one left.

He shuddered.

The protopet turned around and glared at him.

"**RRRRRRRRRRRHH."**

It recognized the lombax.

Ratchet turned around and ran.

The protopet rolled onto a ball and went after him.

Ratchet running wasn't out of fear; it was out of safety.

He had to lead the monster away from Clank and Nefarious.

The others didn't matter.

Ratchet stopped in the middle of some grass.

The protopet stopped too.

FLASH!

A shield appeared, blocking out all exits.

Ratchet was trapped on the grassy area of Lunar City.

With the robotic protopet.

"**ROOOOOOARRR!"**

Ratchet equipped a weapon.

And prepared to fight.

* * *

Yes, I know. There was more of a Ratchet/Raxamis fight than a giant robot fight. No need to tell me. Just review 


	35. Lunar battle Part 2

If you remember the music played during the final battle in Ratchet and Clank 2, then play it in your head as you read.

DUNNNNN………dun dun. D-dunnnnnnnnnn d-dun dun dunna dunna…

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-five: Lunar battle, Part 2**

"**RRRRRRAAAARRR!"**

The protopet rolled itself into a ball and went after Ratchet.

The lombax stepped back, equipped his Megarocket Cannon, charged and fired.

PH-PH-PH-PHWOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!

B-B-B-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Although they hit their target, all the protopet did was stop, turn and speed after Ratchet again.

Ratchet equipped his Mini-Nuke. The black and yellow bomb flew and--

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!

--exploded in the protopet, leaving a small mushroom cloud.

The protopet unrolled itself, went to the edge of the 'arena', opened its mouth and--

"**AA-A-A-A-AAAAAA-AAAAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAAA!"**

--spat out several protopet.

While several metal balls scattered all over, the robo mutant did something new. I jumped high and landed on a three-story building.

"That's new," Ratchet said, equipping his favorite for destroying mitliple, little pests.

FWOOOOOOM! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!

Half the amount of minions were zapped by the Plasma Storm.

There were more though.

They hopped at Ratchet who was backing up to the shield.

"Heinous never said it could make shields."

Ratchet equipped his Rift Ripper.

TWSH!

It wasn't enough.

More of them were coming. Ratchet soon found out why. The mutant protopet was hopping from roof to roof, throwing more protopets. Ratchet only had so much ammunition.

TWSH! TWSH! TWSH! TWSH! TWSH!

He surrounded himself with several portals that didn't suck him in thanks to his Gravity Boots, which made him heavier.

He took out his Splitter Rifle and scanned the rooftops.

"……….."

Several protopets were being sucked in. To make things last longer, Ratchet equipped his Agents of Dread.

While the floating robots disposed of the hopping ones, Ratchet searched.

There!

**BANG!**

"**RRAAAAAAA!"**

CRASH!

The protopet crashed back to the ground. Just in time too; there were only three small protopets left and the Agents were gone and so were the warp holes.

Ratchet equipped three different weapons at once and headed for the minions.

The mutant protopet groaned and stood up. And as it did, it saw a chicken.

STOMP!

Without caring, the monster stomped the ground, causing the big chicken to bounce up and land in the robot's mouth.

From inside the protopet--

_BOOM!_

The protopet shook as the chicken exploded inside it.

Suddenly a black sheep and a flying phoenix-like duck came at it--

BOOM! B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOOOOOM!

--and exploded upon contact.

Ratchet smirked at the beast from where he stood.

"Had enough yet?"

"**RRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!"**

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

That said, Ratchet took out his Decimator.

The protopet resumed rolling.

While jumping back and forth and dodging the physical hits, Ratchet fired missile after missile.

PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

They exploded on contact with the experiment.

The rolling around ceased. Instead, the metal ball opened its mouth wide and--

FWOOOOOM!

--expelled a fireball.

Ratchet dove to his left to avoid one.

The ball of fire dissipated, leaving only a scorch mark in its wake.

Ratchet got desperate and equipped his R.I.N.O. II.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Now, something unexpected happened. The protopet jumped high, resulting in all the spiraling, blue shots missing.

Ratchet looked up, eyes wide.

SWOOOOOOOOSH!

The former fuzz ball was dropping like a rock straight at Ratchet.

Ratchet Charge Booted missing--

_**CRASH!.!.!.!.!**_

--the protopet.

WHOOOOOOSH!

A wall of dust came at Ratchet.

The visor of his helmet protected his green eyes.

Silence.

WHAM!

Ratchet was hit in the stomach.

"Ugh," he grunted as he fell on his back.

CHOMP!

Something was chewing on his leg.

"!.!.!.!" Ratchet took out his wrench and smashed whatever was chewing.

CLANK!

The wrench struck something metal.

Ratchet had no idea what it was, because of the dust.

But he had a good guess.

CLAMP!

Something wedged its teeth into Ratchet's but.

Although he didn't feel pain, thanks to the metal, Ratchet still gasped and hit at the small protopet.

CLIIINK!

FWOOOOOOOOOM! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!.!.!.!.!

There where defiantly a lot.

Ratchet equipped his Vortex Cannon.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

While his weapon sucked, Ratchet ran everywhere he could. He wasn't concerned about fighting the enemy; he was concerned about seeing the enemy.

"**ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"**

There was still a lot of dust and enemies.

Ratchet replaced his Vortex Cannon with his Rynocirator.

_**FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The number of protopet sounds lessened.

Ratchet continued sucking dust up.

………

Finally, the job was done; Ratchet could see perfectly. Good thing too, because there was a huge, metal ball rolling towards him.

Ratchet equipped his Mini-Nuke. The ball flew and--

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!

--exploded upon contact with the ball which was in the middle of turning around.

ZZZA-AAAA-A!

The agents dealt with any remaining small enemy. When there weren't any more small protopets, the agents went after the big one, exploding upon contact.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"**RRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAR!"**

Although it didn't look damaged or weakened, the mutant protopet seemed angry……er.

"This is getting annoying," Ratchet said. Through gritted teeth, he went on, "Why won't you die?"

The protopet opened its mouth to release minions.

"Oh no, you don't!"

FWOOOOOOOOM! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!

The Plasma Storm destroyed all the minions before they could touch the grass.

FWOOOOM! FWOOOOOOOM! FWOOOOOM! FWOOOOOM!

Fireballs flew at him.

Ratchet back-flipped again and again and again.

Ratchet had an idea. He equipped his unused weapon.

The Obliterator.

This gun was about as heavy as the R.Y.N.O.

Ratchet aimed, charged up the weapon and fired.

_**PHWOOOOO-PHOOOOO-PH-PHWOOOOOMMMM-PHWOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Ten--count 'em, ten--rockets flew out of the barrels.

The protopet's eyes widened. He had no time to jump.

**_KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Ratchet leaned on his Obliterator and waited for the dust to clear.

"You better be dead."

In fact, it was……more or less. The mutant protopet had pieces of itself missing. Had it been organic, Ratchet would be disgusted. It lay on its back, inactive. This time, truly defeated.

Ratchet walked up to the robotic carcass. He kicked a piece of metal. CLANG!

"Don't suppose you're gonna cough Qwark up, are you?"

Of course, there was no answer.

Ratchet turned around and started walking his exhausted body towards the robots.

* * *

Heinous' yellow eyes opened. The robot slowly stood up and dusted himself off. He scanned around him. Albert--twitching slightly--Raxamis and Sandy lay near him. Clank and Nefarious lay still in the distance. 

The scientist clenched his fists. Another plan failed. He took out his communicator and spoke.

"This is Dr. Heinous. I need one of you to come get us."

"_Uh, that's not part of the plan," _a thug responded.

"I know. Listen, just get me a dropship quickly."

"_Roger."_

-blip-

Heinous put the communicator away. He looked at Albert.

The butler was slowly getting up. After straightening himself he looked at his master and asked, "Did we shut down?"

"Yes, we did."

"How long have you been awake?"

"About thirty seconds."

Albert noticed Sandy and Raxamis. "What about them?"

"Sandy's gonna remain like that unless we recharge her."

"And Raxamis……?"

"Nnnnnghh!" Raxamis stirred. He bore a drunken smile. "Courtney…"

"I think that answers your question, Albert."

"Oye," Albert palmed his forehead.

* * *

Nefarious' red eyes opened. He stood up. 

At the same time, Clank reactivated from the middle of the road.

"Dr. Nefarious, I believe we have switched back in," Clank said as he trotted over to the taller robot.

"No shit," Nefarious grunted as he dusted himself off. "What happened?"

"The protopet released a something which caused all robots within the vicinity to shut down."

"Then, why are we awake?"

"The protopet must have been deactivated."

"By who?"

"Ratchet."

"'Ratchet'?"

"He isn't a robot. And he's defeated the protopet before."

"Do to know," Nefarious seemed uninterested now. "Where's Jeremy?"

"There," Clank pointed.

Nefarious looked.

Heinous was carrying Sandy up the door-ramp. Albert was dragging Raxamis after him.

Nefarious started running.

"Wait!" Clank called and was ignored.

Nefarious panted nonexistent breath as he ran.

Heinous was the only one on the ramp. He looked straight at his stepbrother.

"Another time, Vince," he droned. "Another time."

The walked in. The door-ramp closed, making it looked like there was no door-ramp.

Nefarious kept running. He was thirty meters away.

Slowly, the ship rose and went out of sight.

Nefarious stopped. He growled.

"COME AND FACE ME, COWARD!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

The dropship didn't return.

Nefarious slumped to his knees.

"I was too late."

He growled as he punched the tarmac, leaving a small dent.

Ratchet limped by Clank's side.

When Clank noticed the newcomer, his eyes widened. "Ratchet!"

"I'm okay, Clank," Ratchet waved him off. "I called for help after I destroyed the protopet. A dropship, carrying Slim and Qwark is on its way."

"That would be unnecessary," Clank said.

Ratchet cocked a weak eyebrow. "Why?"

"Dr. Heinous has left Lunar City."

"Damn," Ratchet grunted.

* * *

A few minutes later, a ranger dropship landed in the road. Its only entry opened and Qwark--Skrunch on his shoulder--and Slim rushed out towards Ratchet and Clank. 

"We're here," Slim said. "Where's Heinous."

"You just missed him," Ratchet said.

"He got away?.!" Qwark cackled.

"Yes," Ratchet said and slowly walked into the ship.

"Where's Nefarious?" Slim asked.

Clank looked to his right. He spotted Nefarious marching towards the group.

"He is coming," Clank said.

* * *

"Good news," Angela said. 

"What?" Sasha asked as she swiveled around.

"I just got off the phone with Mr. Fizzwidget. He said he's convinced the galactic president to give us a place to stay."

Sash smiled. "That's nice. Where?"

"A hotel in Megopolis."

"Would that happen to be on Planet Endako?"

Angela smirked. "You've been studying."

"When can I meat Mr. Fizzwidget? I'd like to thank him."

"He's very busy. Knowing that you enjoyed you we enjoy ourselves in the hotel in thanks enough."

"We'll only be staying there for a day."

"Yes, I know. And don't worry; the president will pay for everything."

"No," Sasha shook her head. "I couldn't."

"Oh come on, Captain. With all the things that have been happening, you disserve a break."

"Wellllllllll," Sasha thought. "Okay, I guess I can not pay."

"Good to hear."

"At least we won't have those icepacks to slow us down, eh?"

"Hehe. Yeah."

* * *

A frustrated Heinous waited patiently. 

He was in his room. The only one who was with him, was Sandy. She lay silently in her basket, wires from the wall putting energy into her.

The big screen displayed static.

As he waited, Heinous' mind wandered.

"…………"

FLASH!

* * *

_FLASH!_

_**CLANK!**_

_The restraints are broken at once._

_All five of them._

_The room becomes colder._

_Heinous shivers and pleads, "Please wait and let me explain everything!"_

"_**Explain what?" **it barks. **"How you dragged me here and tortured me into becoming this FREAK?.!.?.!.?.!"**_

_It moves closer to him._

"_No, wait!" Heinous backs up against a wall. "You don't understand!"_

BEEB-BEE-BEEB-BEEP-BEEP!

_FLASH!

* * *

_

FLASH! 

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

"?" Heinous was knocked back to his base. The screen was beeping. He pressed a button, revealing a purple face.

"_You asked to talk?" _the thug Leader droned, his face hard and emotionless.

"Yes, I asked to talk!" Heinous shouted. "The plan was a bust!"

"_You sound as if you're blaming me."_

"What do you think?.!"

The Leader droned_, "This may have been my plan, but you're the ones who failed to execute it properly."_

"That's true," Heinous admitted, "but Plan B didn't work. The protopet turned on us!.!.!.!"

"_That was yer department, Doctor. All I did was supply the protopet. You were the one who transformed it. You told me everything was okay, so I didn't press on about the subject."_

"……..," Heinous was silent.

"_I offered many thugs for you, but you only asked for a dropship with five thugs. Do you really want our help?"_

"I do!" Heinous looked for something to say. "It's just that………" his voice lingered.

"_You don't have faith in us, do you?"_

"…………"

"_Then there's only one thing to do."_

"?.?.?.?"

"_Order a bigger ship for raritanium. Instead of Tabora, we'll excavate on Grelbin."_

"Remind me about Grelbin."

"_It's a planet covered in snow. It's home to failed experiments, such as the Y.E.T.I.s. And natural wildlife, such as the leviathans. It also has a reasonable amount of raritanium."_

"You know how much I need, right?"

"_Yes, I do."_

"How will this plan work?" Heinous shot at the Leader. "I'm out of mind-control devices."

"_I'll be providing several thugs for protection."_

"That's still not enough."

"_I know. There will be something else."_

"And what would that be."

"_I'll be going there myself."

* * *

_

This wasn't one of my best, I know. The chapter after the next will be gripping. However, the next chapter won't contain any action. 


	36. A break

**Chapter Thirty-six: A break**

The thug Leader sat in his lavish office. His left eye twitched as he spoke to someone on screen.

"_So, what's your plan?"_

"I'll be taking position aboard the ship which will be collection raritanium on Planet Grelbin," the Leader said emotionlessly. "There's no doubt that Captain Sasha will be sending someone to stop us."

"_Who?"_

"Ratchet, Clank, Vincent, Captain Qwark, Skrunch," the Leader listed. "Perhaps even Courtney."

"_Who's Courtney?"_

"The robot Jeremiah had under 'is control. Captain Qwark and Skrunch had succeeded in rescuing her from the scientist. She's also a former pop star of the Solana Galaxy."

"_I'm amazed at how you know all this."_

"Our other associate 'as provided me with enough information on the current situation, the past and the things that are to come. No doubt she'll give you the same thing."

"_What about the other one? The tyhrranoid. Slim Cognito, I think his name was."_

"'Slim Cognito' is a name which 'e uses as a fake identity. Experiment 5--'is real name--will also be there," the Leader droned. "I'll try and tell him what happened and what will happen."

"_And if he refuses to listen…?"_

"He won't."

"_Does Heinous know anything about this?"_

"No, 'e 'as no idea that we know about--"

Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock.

A knock at the door.

"We'll finish this another time," the Leader said.

"_Be careful on that ship. Experiment 5's very fast and strong. Not to mention he has a bigger weapons arsenal than Ratchet."_

"I'll stay alert," the said, the Leader pressed a button on his desk and the screen sunk into the floor. "Come in."

An elite henchman stepped into the office. "Heinous says it's time. There's a ship waitin' for ya outside, sir."

The Leader nodded. "Go ahead of me and tell 'im I'll be there shortly."

He stood up and rested himself on the desk with his right arm. He moved round the left side of the desk--his left, his right leg moving normally, his left leg dragging behind him, his right arm grabbing onto any object encase he lost balance, his left arm dangling by his side, his right eye refusing to blink, and his left eye twitching.

"Do you need help, sir?" the henchman, who was still there, asked.

"No," the Leader droned.

* * *

The usual thirteen people where in a luxurious hotel lobby. 

"So…," Angela said, "…….Al, Jack and Skidd will be in Room 124."

"Yes."

"Yeah, dudette."

"Yup."

"Nefarious, Courtney and Lawrence will be in Room 125."

"Yep."

"Mmhmm."

"Yes."

"Qwark, Skrunch and Helga will be in Room 126."

"Yeah.

"Ya."

"Aak."

"They've made an exception to having pets on your case, Qwark," Angela said.

"Great!" Qwark punched the air was a latex-covered fist.

"Captain Sasha and I will be in Room 127."

Nefarious whispered something to Courtney. She rolled her eyes.

"And finally, Ratchet and Clank will be in Room 128."

"Yeah."

"Certainly."

"The receptionist gave us the keys. All our rooms are on the twentieth floor."

Everyone left for the elevator. Due to the number of people, the groups had to be split. Skrunch, Nefarious, Qwark, Courtney, Lawrence, Skidd and Helga took one elevator, while Ratchet, Clank, Angela, Slim, Sasha and Al took the other.

"I just thought of something," Ratchet said.

"What?" Slim asked.

"Who'll be taking care of the Phoenix?"

Sasha sighed. "I explained before we left. Weren't you listening?"

"I was exhausted," Ratchet said. "Three battles in two days."

"Oh sorry. The rangers will be taking care of it."

"Are you sure there are enough?" Angela asked.

"We're running low on rangers…," Sasha glared at Slim. The albino tyhrranoid shrunk. "But I think they can take care of the ship. Especially Bob."

"I sure hope that Dr. Heinous doesn't try the mind-control antennas again," Al rubbed his forehead. "I think I still have a headache."

"Yeah."

"……….."

"……….."

"………."

"………."

"………."

"……."

Silence.

The elevator doors opened.

Everyone went to their rooms silently.

* * *

Some time later… 

"I swear," Nefarious said, inspecting the room, "the squishies of this galaxy tend to overdo things a lot."

"Why's that?" Courtney asked.

"Don't ask me," Nefarious gestured. "Ask the ones who designed this place."

"I thought you'd like this planet with all the robots and all."

"Robots: yes. Robots controlled by squishies: no."

Courtney sighed. "That word is getting really stale."

"Staler than your song, 'Acidic'?"

WHAP!

"OW!"

Courtney elbowed him in the side.

"You're the only one who didn't like it."

A coughing sound came from the room Lawrence was in.

"Whatever." Nefarious then changed the subject by saying, "I get the room with the double-bed."

Courtney frowned. "No, I get it."

"Hey, I'm the hero who's supposed to stop Jeremy!"

"You've done a good job at it too!" Courtney exclaimed sarcastically. "How long has it been? Almost two weeks since you joined?"

"At least I wasn't some kind of mindless zombie in my stepbrother's base!" Nefarious retorted.

"That wasn't my fault!" Courtney shot back. "Maybe, if you didn't send me there all by myself, I'd still be with you! And--no--those robots were useless."

"With me?.!" Nefarious growled. "Doing what? Trying to seduce me twenty-four-seven?.?.?"

"Are you gay or something?"

"No, I'm not! I'm just not interested in you!"

"Why not?"

"Well…….err………………………"

"……"

"……."

"……."

"……I get the double-bed!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"No, I do!"

"GRRRR!"

"GRRRR!"

They glared daggers--no--laser beams at each other. Nefarious glared down at the shorted robot. Courtney glared up at the taller robot. Their faces were almost touching, but it didn't look like the situation would get romantic.

At the same time, Lawrence came out of his room and saw the current condition.

"Just like old times," he mused.

Nefarious and Courtney turned their heads left/right and frowned.

"**You stay out of this!" **they yelled in unison.

Lawrence walked into his room quickly, afraid of getting his head sliced off.

"It's over between us!" Courtney yelled.

"It never started!" Nefarious yelled back.

"And it never will!"

"….."

"……"

"….."

"……"

"……"

"……"

"….."

"……….I dunno why I'm still talking to you."

"Same here, sister!"

"Then we'll stop.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Courtney walked angrily into the largest room.

SLAM!

She slammed the door behind her.

Nefarious walked angrily to the sofa and lied down on it, he arms crossed and his face frowned.

"….."

A minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

"……..?" Nefarious blinked. He sat up as he said, "Hey!"

* * *

"Ratchet, where are you going?" Clank asked. 

The heroic duo where in their hotel room. The most luxurious room they had ever seen. Two bathrooms, three bedrooms, one living room…even a kitchen!

"I'm just going to go and check this place out," Ratchet replied.

"Okay, I'll be watching the holo-vid if you need me," Clank said. "I wonder how Holostar Studios is handling without me."

Clad in a blue T-shirt, black pants, a cap and jeans, Ratchet exited the room. He wanted to see the arcade room Al had told him about. He would only spend a day here, so he had to make the most of it.

He made his way to the elevator. It was convenient that it had stopped and dinged at his floor.

Someone stepped out.

Ratchet stopped.

The person went to other way.

CLING!

He dropped something and bent over casually to pick them up.

Ratchet's lips curved onto a smile.

"Look, the plumber's back," he said.

The person jumped and turned around.

"Well, look who's here," the plumber said. Instead of the usual clothes, he was wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt and white shorts.

"This is the forth time, right?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes, it is. 'cept your little robot friend isn't here," the plumber replied.

"Actually, he is here."

"Vacation?"

"No, we're after another bad guy. Dr. Heinous, the one on the news."

"Ah, yes. My wife and I used the money we earned to go here to get away from Solana and to take a break."

"We chased him here."

The plumber blinked. "He's in Bogon now?"

"Yeah, but don't worry," Ratchet reassured, "we got it covered."

"I hope so--oh I have something for you!" the plumber reached into his pocket.

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. "You knew I was coming?"

"No, I just wanna get rid of these things," he pulled several items that looked like Bolts, but not exactly.

"What are they?"

"These tokens will allow you to play any game in the arcade," the plumber said.

"Wow, really?" Ratchet grinned, then his smile shrunk. "No, you don't have to."

"It's okay," the plumber held out the tokens. "I'm not so good at those games."

"Okay then," Ratchet held his empty palm out. Tokens were dropped into it.

The plumber waved. "See you around on your next adventure," and he sauntered down the hall.

"Cya," Ratchet said.

The plumber disappeared round a corner.

"Man," Ratchet grinned at all the shiny objects in his hands, "I'm gonna have so much fun."

* * *

"Some view, eh Helga?" Qwark said, admiring the view from the balcony with his hands on the railings. 

They were given a view of a big part of the city. The place was spotless, flying vehicles where abundant and the sky was clear blue. The hotel and other buildings formed a 'square'. In the centre of the 'square', there was a park.

"Ya," Helga nodded.

"Of course…I've been in better places than this."

Helga rolled her eyes.

"Oooh?" Skrunch pointed something above the rooftops.

Qwark looked and didn't see anything.

"What did you see, Skrunch?"

"Ohh akk ayaaaaooh!"

"Vot did he say?" Helga asked.

"He asked what that was," Qwark replied.

Helga turned her head right and asked him, "Vot vot was?"

"I dunno," Qwark shrugged. "He pointed to one of the roofs."

"I don't see anything," Helga said.

"Me neither."

A beat.

"Wanna go to the pool?"

"Ya."

"Ak."

* * *

His back against a waist-high wall, Agent J panted after having been seen by Skrunch. He had ducked in hopes of the monkey thinking it was his imagination. 

"I'll have to wait till nightfall if I wanna kill Ratchet," the assassin said as he calmed down a little.

* * *

"Sorry, Jack," Al said. "You can't come with us." 

"Why not?" Slim asked casually.

"Cuz you're a tyhrranoid. A white, blue-eyed, pants-wearing, talking tyhrranoid! People would get suspicious."

Slim smirked and equipped something from his watch. Then in a flash of light, the albino tyhrranoid was replaced by a cute-looking robot.

"Gadgetron Holo-Guise," Al said.

The robot nodded.

Al smirked. "Wow, that's resourceful."

The robot nodded.

"Dudes, are we going?" Skidd asked as he reentered the room from outside.

"Yes, we're going," Al said.

Skidd noticed the robot. "Who's he?"

Al chuckled. "That's Jack."

"Holo-Guise, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay, let's go then," Skidd turned to leave.

Al followed.

The robot slowly walked towards the door.

* * *

At the arcade… 

"Come on……… Come on………….YES!" Skidd held his arms up dramatically--some people stopped to stare--as he achieved a, "New high score!"

A few feet away…

"Quick, Ratchet!" Al yelled as he 'backseat played' use your special attack.

Ratchet button bashed madly. "I'm not gonna let him win!"

"Then use your attack!" Al pressed.

"Okay!" Ratchet pressed a red button.

The screen displayed a poor quality game character jumping into the air, twirling its body around so the feet faced the opponent, spinning like a drill and charging straight into the enemy.

"Not much health left!" Ratchet sneered at the person he was playing against.

"The fortieth try has got to work," Nefarious looked through the glass. He pressed a button on a joystick.

The claw lowered.

Nefarious waited.

The claw touched the prize.

Nefarious clenched his jaw.

The claw closed, missed the prize, rose, traveled, stopped over a hole, and opened.

Nefarious deflated. He frowned and reached into the wallet Slim let him borrow.

"……?" he blinked. "Empty?"

Nefarious ran out of the arcade as fast as he could.

He was going to ask for money.

Back at the other game place.

"Ratchet, he's using a fire blast!"

"I see it!"

"Use your--"

The screen flashed with a game character firing a ball of fire at Ratchet's opponent. The remains of the health bar disappeared and the words 'PLAYER 2 WINS' flashed, covering the whole screen. Then came the credits and a demo.

"I can't believe he beat you," Al said.

"I can't believe he beat me," Ratchet said.

"I can't believe I beat you," Lawrence said.

"Since when was gaming in your programming?" Ratchet asked.

"Since the day I was manufactured," Lawrence said. "However, I have my limitations."

"Interesting…" Al scratched his chin.

"How about a rematch?" Ratchet offered.

Lawrence would have smirked if he could. "Alright then."

* * *

Nefarious ran across the pools rim. 

Like the five-star hotel this place was amazing. Three deep pools, two kiddy pools, and a lot of space to put them in.

Nefarious came to a screeching halt right next to Sasha's chair.

Clad in a dark blue one-piece bathing suit, the captain glanced at him from the paper she was reading. Then without looking at the robot, she asked, "Yes?"

"I need more Bolts," Nefarious said, holding the empty wallet out, expecting Sasha to drop money in.

"I just gave you Ten Bolts," she said.

"I know. I used them all."

"Sorry….but that was the first and last payment."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee?"

"No."

It didn't look like the cazar was going to give in anytime soon.

Nefarious looked at the deckchair next to her.

"How about you, Allison?"

"'Angela'," Angela corrected. Due to the fact that she didn't have a bathing suit, Angela sat in a similar position to Sasha, reading the same kind of paper as Sasha. "And--no--I don't have any spare change."

Nefarious pulled at imaginary hair.

"But I'm so close to getting the action figure!"

Sasha was about to say something--

"CANNONBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

Angela and Sasha looked up. Nefarious turned around.

Two jade eyes, two blue eyes, and two red eyes widened.

Qwark--wearing green swimming trunks and green gloves--was plunging towards the pools waters in a fetal position.

SPLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

A wall of water came and drenched every person with in a ten-metre radius.

Sounds of angry tourists filled the air.

Sasha wiped her face. She then gasped when she felt something sticky on her features. She looked at Nefarious, who was looking at her with an amused smile.

"Tell me I don't have ink on my face," Sasha said.

Nefarious' smiled grew. "You don't have ink on your face."

Sasha growled lightly. "How could it get any worse?"

"Look out!" Angela pointed.

Nefarious and Sasha looked and gasped.

Helga hit the half empty pool.

_**SLPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

**_

"Here you go, Chad," Clank said, handing a signed piece of paper to a fan. 

"Whoa!" Chad held the autograph up for him to read. "Thanks, Clank."

"You're welcome," Clank replied. "Just remember to always stay in school and keep out of trouble."

"You got it, Agent Clank!" the fanboy exclaimed. He waved and trotted away on his three legs.

The robot next to Clank shook its head.

"What?" Clank asked.

The robot hand-signed _'Why do you always have to say something like that?'_

Clank blinked. "I did not know you knew sign-language, Slim."

The robot jumped, its eyes antennas turning from green to red. It looked around to see if anyone heard. No one had though, so the robot hand-signed furiously as it changed back to green_, 'Don't use my name in public!'_

"Oh, sorry," Clank said.

'_Anyway, why do you always say that?'_

"Say what?"

''_Stay in school and keep out of trouble', for example.'_

"To make sure that children--"

'_Never mind.'_

Clank shrugged. Then, he said, "What should we do now?"

The fake robot thought, then signed_, 'Want to go to the buffet?'_

"I do not eat, Jack," Clank replied dully.

The 'robot' looked embraced. _'Sorry, I forgot…… I do not have much to do. I will just return to the room.'_

"Okay, I'll go and find Ratchet."

They separated.

* * *

"ComeonComeonComeonComeonComeon--D'oh!" Ratchet slapped his forehead. 

"That makes five times in a row," Lawrence said.

"Wow, Ratchet," Al said after taking a sip from a drink he bought, "you got beaten by Nefarious' butler."

"I know," Ratchet said, rubbing his watery eyes. He then opened his bloodshot optics and said, "I demand a rematch."

"I'm terribly sorry, Master Ratchet," Lawrence said, "but I cannot partake in anymore gaming."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. One: I need to recharge. Two: Your eyes are bloodshot."

"So?" Ratchet clearly wasn't ready to stop. "I have more tokens to spare."

"I agree with Lawrence," Al said. "It's late."

"What?.!" Ratchet looked at his watch. He blinked his red-cornea eyes.

10:00 pm.

"How the Hell…?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," Al started walking. "I'm going to get Skidd."

The yellow person walked away to fetch Skidd, who was currently trying to beat the high score he beat eight times before.

"Come on, Master Ratchet," Lawrence said, "you must get some sleep. There will be more traveling tomorrow."

"I'm not tired," Ratchet said dully.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm--"

Twap!

Ratchet fell face-first onto the console of the game he had been losing at for the past several hours.

Lawrence grabbed Ratchet and hoisted him over his shoulder. As he was leaving, the butler noticed Al carrying Skidd in a similar fashion.

Al smirked and continued sauntering.

For obvious reasons, Lawrence didn't smirk. He did continue sauntering though.

* * *

Night had fallen in Megopolis. The streets were filled with lights from a perfect amount of streetlamps. Ships still hovered around and pedestrians were more numerous than the vehicles transporting a quarter of the population. This was usual. 

However, things weren't exactly the same…

A figure stood above the rooftops. His solid red eyes made his black silhouette all the more intimidating. Eating a Choochi Bar, Agent J scanned the area. From where he stood, it was dark; from below, it was bright. But he didn't care about other things. All he cared about was assassinating a certain lombax who was stupidly leaning against a railing of a balcony of an expensive hotel…all on his own.

After finishing the bar, the assassin crumbled up the wrapper and tossed it over his shoulder in hopes of landing it in the litterbin that was put there due to the City's fetish for cleanliness.

However, the wrapper bounced off the bin's rim and landed at the snivlacian's feet. He didn't notice though; because he was too busy eating a second Choochi Bar.

After finishing this and another three, Agent J would be ready for assassination.

Little did he know that his littering hadn't gone unnoticed.

* * *

Ratchet sighed deeply as he stared at the activity taking place below. It was perfect. Nothing seemed to step out of line. This City was like a robot paradise. The ones he had encountered two years ago were malfunctioning. The lombax only wished that things would be as peaceful for Solana. He remembered the place Slim had taken him to when they were going to meet Mr. M. It was just so ghetto to him. He had always thought that Gorda City was a happy place with people who got used to the frequent thunder storms. No doubt Metropolis was the same. Maybe even this City. 

That wasn't important now. Dr. Heinous was a more formidable foe than Drek, the Thugs-4-Less Leader or Nefarious. No, this one was probably the worst. And if that wasn't true, then Ratchet wasn't sure if he'd be able to go up against any new enemies.

Raxamis' words still lingered in his brain.

'_You're nothing without your toys.'_

Ratchet new that the word 'toys' meant his weapons. He couldn't deny it any longer.

He was weak.

From the wrench to the Rynocirator, he was weak. Without those weapons, he would have probably never become the hero he was.

However, there were several outcomes if Ratchet had never intervened. There would have never been a protopet shipment.

As for Drek…

Veldin would have been destroyed and replaced by the synthetic blargian planet. Then the cycle would have started all over again. Another hero--other than Qwark--would have come and saved the day. Nefarious would have returned and so on……

Ratchet was still weak.

Qwark had strength. Slim had super strength, speed and agility. Nefarious had several different robotic powers. Courtney had agility and other attacks.

Every enemy Ratchet fought could have killed him then and there. Just one bullet to the head could kill him. He was so vulnerable. He never realized how fragile he was

Ratchet sighed and continued looking at the random passing cars.

"………."

* * *

Agent J finished the last Choochi Bar. He tossed it over his shoulder and--yes--missed for the fifth time. He belched and lightly fisted his chest. 

He equipped a Vaporizer and took aim.

"…..'

The hotel was directly in front of the building he was on. Ratchet's head was visible and distinguishable.

He tongued his right cheek.

"Ya won't get away this time, ya rodent."

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

He blinked.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

He looked behind him.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

Three sweeperbots were spinning at his feet. He didn't know why, but the robots were after the Choochi Bar wrappers.

"Get away, ya stupid robots!"

The only caused their 'eyes' to turn red. They swished faster.

Agent J jumped back and forth to avoid them.

Suddenly, he lost balance and fell over the wall.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA……."

He inhaled.

"…..AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

He screamed and fell.

He then remembered something and wasted no time equipping a Swingshot.

POW-CLANK! The Swingshot caught the railings of a balcony.

Agent J stopped falling the seemingly endless fall.

Instead, he just hung there.

"…….."

He looked left and right.

"Crikey, almost though I was gone there."

He then noticed that things were becoming suddenly brighter.

He looked left.

A speeding hover vehicle was heading straight for him with no intention of stopping.

His eyes widened, his eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped without his lips parting.

**WHAM!

* * *

**

The next morning… 

Knock-knock-knock.

"Courtney, will you come out now?" Nefarious asked. "It's almost time to leave here."

"_Why should I?" _a reply came from the other side.

Nefarious knew what to say, "So we can go after Jeremy, that's why!"

"_And then what? You'll be sent back to some asteroid and I'll be a has been!"_

"So? And--no--you'll do okay."

"……_."_

"……"

"_Really?"_

"Yes."

"_I thought you didn't like the music I made."_

"That was just one song."

"_Oh."_

"I'm sorry about the argument we had yesterday. I still need to get used to the fact that you're back."

"_I still need to get used to BEING back."_

"So……are we cool?"

"_Yeah."_

"That was fast," Nefarious said quietly.

The door opened and--

THWOMP!

--Nefarious was attacked with a big hug from none other then Courtney. He was caught off guard and stumbled back, but kept his footing.

"Don't push your luck," Nefarious managed a smirk.

"Just like old times."

Nefarious and Courtney blinked. They looked in the direction from where the voice came.

Lawrence stood tall in the living room.

Nefarious and Courtney frowned.

"**Shut up!"**

Lawrence quickly dashed away.

* * *

"Do I still have to use this?" Slim asked. 

"Yes, you do," Al replied. "Until we get on the dropship."

"Oh, alright," Slim activated the Holo-guise was transformed into a robot.

Al went to collect Skidd. The man from Rilgar was drooling in his sleep on the sofa.

Al nudged Skidd's shoulder.

"Skidd," he said softly, "it's time to go."

Skidd stirred and turned over, facing away from Al.

"Skidd," Al nudged even harder.

"Albright, dudes," Skidd said with a drunken smile, "this is Shadow Dude telling all of you to get out. All of you except for the ladies."

Al growled.

Slim transformed back into himself and equipped his Stink-O-Matic. He held the device up to Skidd's face.

Skidd sniffed.

"……………grandma?"

He sniffed again.

His eyes opened as he sat bolt upright, screaming "AAAAGH! It's grandma!.!.!.!.!.!"

Slim chucked and hid the gadget.

"C'mon, let's get going," Al said

* * *

Everyone waited in the courtyard. 

Slim was still a robot.

Skidd maws still alert.

And Ratchet's eyes were still bloodshot.

"Qwark, do you know what you did yesterday?" Sasha asked the man in green.

"Yes, I got up, brushed my teeth--" Qwark listed, but was cut off.

"You soaked every person within a ten-metre radius!" Sasha fumed.

"What about Helga?" Qwark tried putting the blame on someone else.

"The damage was already done!" Sasha tried keeping her temper. "I had to apologize to twenty-eight people, because you ran away when you saw everyone's frowning faces!"

"Well, I………" Qwark fumbled for words.

Sasha was about to raise a finger and speak, when she heard the unmistakable hum of a ranger dropship. Make that three dropships.

"We'll talk later," she said to Qwark.

The costumed hero only hoped she'd forget.

Everyone kept their distance and waited for the ships to land. When one of them landed, the door-ramp opened and a Phoenix scientist rushed out.

"Dr. Razbbor?" Sasha raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Before we left, we found where the next ship will be searching for raritanium," Dr. Razbbor said.

Everyone listened.

"Where?" Sasha asked.

"Planet Grelbin."

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Well, that took a week. This chapter was meant for mild humor and a bit of angst. The next chapter will contain action. I'm good at that. 


	37. Prophecy Part 1

**Chapter Thirty-seven: Prophecy Part 1**

"Are you sure you won't be able to accompany me on this ship?" the twitchy eyed thug Leader asked Heinous.

He was conversing with a familiar image displayed on a monitor.

It wasn't the one from last time.

"_Absolutely," _Heinous' image said. _"Sandy seems to have fallen ill."_

"Robots do not get ill," the Leader droned.

"_I know. She just started having symptoms."_

"Of what?"

"_Indigestion."_

The Leader stared.

Heinous blinked. _"What? You don't believe be? Well, it's true. It's as if she's been infected with a stomach virus."_

"I see."

"_Anyway, I can't come."_

"What about that other robot? The flamboyant one."

"_Raxamis is taking a break. He's been fighting so much lately."_

"Very well," the Leader nodded. "If this goes according to plan, send the payment to Thugs-4-Less in cash."

"_Yeah. Say, why did you decide to go there? I'm mean--no offence--but you don't look as if you can fight."_

"None taken. I decided to c'mere so I could talk with the tyhrranoid."

Heinous looked uneasy. _"W-Why do you wanna talk with him?"_

"Let's just say I want to tell Experiment 5 something informative."

Heinous looked even more uneasy. _"H-H-How d-d-do you know his name?"_

"Goodbye, Jeremiah."

"_No, you'll tell me right n--HEY! How'd you know--?"_

-blip-

The Leader turned the monitor off. He strained to face the awaiting thugs who were listening to the conversation.

They were in the ship's control room.

Silence.

The thugs shifted nervously.

"Status report," the Leader said simply.

A brute said, "The ship's full of raritanium. It can't carry no more."

"Good. Set a course for Snivelak then."

"Okay, boss, but….er….this ship is kinda slow. It'll take an hour to get onto space."

"I know," the Leader said. "It doesn't matter. But just because we're leaving, that doesn't mean you can relax. The Starship Phoenix is heading here as I speak. There's no doubt that Ratchet, Clank, Dr. Nefarious, Captain Qwark, and the white tyhrranoid will be coming here to foil the plan. Tell the others to stand guard as well as yourselves."

"**Yes, sir!" **the thugs said in unison as they saluted.

The Leader was silent then. And as he limped out of the room, his eye twitched more than usual.

"………………………………………………………………………"

* * *

Ratchet, Clank, Skrunch, Qwark, Slim and Nefarious sat/stood in the dropship. 

They hadn't done the same as last time, because they agreed that it would be better this time if they stuck together.

Even Nefarious.

After last time, Heinous would have most likely tightened security.

"I came here yesterday," Ratchet groaned.

"We must do everything to stop Dr. Heinous," Clank said.

"True."

"Uh, Sarge," the ranger said. "The ship's leaving."

Ratchet stood up quickly. "We're too late?.!"

"Yes. The ship is rising higher and higher."

"Who cares?" Nefarious growled. "Take us above the ship!"

"But the miss--!"

"I don't care! Now, do it!.!"

The ranger looked at Ratchet, as if the lombax would provide an answer.

"……"

"……," Ratchet nodded.

The ranger faced the controls and initiated a switch that made the ship gain altitude.

Nefarious smiled proudly.

"Boy, Nefarious," Qwark said, "what's got you all tied up in a knot?"

"I'm just keen on finishing the job," Nefarious said.

"Why, so you and Lawrence can go back to the asteroid sooner?"

"No!" Nefarious glared. "I just wanna stop being with you squishies! You're really getting on my nerves."

Qwark was about to retort--

"We're a mile above the ship, everyone," the ranger said.

"Good," Slim stood up. "Let's go.

The door-ramp opened, allowing a rush of cold air to come into the ship.

Ratchet's armor protected him, but he could still see his own breath. Slim shivered once, but got used to it. Nefarious, Clank and the ranger were unaffected. Skrunch shivered slightly.

And Qwark……

"I-I-I-I-I-I-It's kinda cold. M-M-M-M-M-Maybe I should stay here."

Ratchet shrugged. With Clank in his back in Thruster mode, the lombax ran out of the ship and jumped. He spread his arms out in a crucifix position.

Nefarious followed.

Skrunch jumped on Qwark's left shoulder. He pointed outside.

Qwark shook his head, his teeth chattering.

WHUP!

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Qwark stumbled forward after having been kicked in the back by Slim.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" he fell out with Skrunch.

Slim smirked. Without looking, he said to the ranger. "We'll keep in touch."

The tyhrranoid jumped and equipped a Tractor Beam.

* * *

The wind rushed at Ratchet. His helmet's visor kept his eyes from tearing. 

His arms were being kicked at by the cold air, along with the rest of his body facing down.

He saw the missiles coming.

He started twirling his body left and right, avoiding them by inches.

The missiles missed and headed for Nefarious.

The robot pulled out his ray guns and fired.

ZAAAAAAAP-B-BOOM!

A missile exploded, causing another nearby missile to detonate.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Nefarious shot more red.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

He grinned.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! Qwark hugged Skrunch as if the primate would help him.

Unlike Ratchet, his eyes were watery. The same for Skrunch's eye.

Suddenly--

FLASH!

An orange glow enveloped Qwark and Skrunch.

They blinked painfully.

"Up here!"

The twisted their bodies and looked up. The orange light didn't blind them one bit.

Slim waved as he got closer to them. His left and right eyes were flung over his back. His middle eye stared down at Qwark and Skrunch, not looking painful one bit.

"What's up?" Slim asked casually.

Qwark gulped. "Us!"

"You'll get used to it."

"No I--"

"Look out!"

Qwark looked over his shoulder.

A missile was heading right for him and Skrunch.

Qwark screamed.

PHWOOOOOM-POWWWWWWWWW!.!.!.!

Another missile flew passed him and destroyed the missile.

Skrunch looked up.

In his other hand, Slim was holding a Devastator.

The freakishly white tyhrranoid smirked at Qwark.

Qwark smiled helplessly at him.

"I can see the ship's roof!" Ratchet yelled above the rushing air.

"Tell me when I should activate myself!" Clank called back.

"…."

"…."

"……"

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"Now!"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV!

Clank activated himself.

Pl-Plant.

No less than a second later, Ratchet touched town on the ship's roof.

"How far up are we, Clank?"

"One hundred thousand feet and rising."

"How long till this ship leaves the atmosphere?"

"About one hour and fifty minutes."

Ratchet's eyes narrowed. "Then, we still have time."

"Ratchet."

"Clank?"

The small robot pointed at the missile launchers. They were still firing at the others who hadn't arrived yet.

"Right," Ratchet nodded and equipped his R.Y.N.O. II.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM!

BOOM! B-B-B-BOOOOOM! BOO-OO-OO-MM-MM-M! BOOOOOOOM!

Every missile launcher was destroyed.

Ratchet smirked.

"Feakin' showoff."

Ratchet turned around.

Nefarious stood with his arms crossed. He smirked as he said, "Were you like this before I attacked Solana?"

Ratchet rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was."

"Great. Can we go now?"

"Not until the others get here," Ratchet said.

"Fine," Nefarious waved him off, "I'll go in solo and get all the glory."

Nefarious raised a claw and--

CRRKKKKK!

--sank it into the roof's metal.

CRRKKK!

He did the same with the other.

He pulled and-

CRAAAAAACK!

--pulled out a flat square of metal.

Ratchet's lips parted.

Nefarious mock saluted and dove in.

Ratchet heard sounds.

"_There 'e is!"_

"_Shoot it!"_

_RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!_

_BLAM!_

"_That's it! You're really pissing me off now!"_

_BLAAAAM!_

"_He killed--"_

_TWOOOOOSH-SLIIIIIK!_

"_Sskskkssskskttttt……"_

"_Fire!"_

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

_RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!_

_ZAAAAAAAAAAP!_

_Thump._

"_Uh oh."_

"'_Uh oh' is right, squishy!"_

_SLIIIIINK!_

"_AAAAAAaaaaaskskssstsskskskst…….."_

_Whuuuuuuuuuur._

"_More victims, eh?"_

Ratchet cringed at the sounds of carnage.

"Ratchet, Qwark, Skrunch and Slim have arrived," Clank said.

Ratchet looked.

PLAN!

With unnatural abilities, Slim landed on his feet, denting the roof a little.

In his hand, he held a Tractor Beam.

Ratchet followed the orange entity.

Slightly shaken up, Qwark and Skrunch touched down safely.

"How'd you do that?" Ratchet asked Slim.

"I told you," the tyhrranoid said as his other two eyes erected like the middle one, "I'm an experiment."

Ratchet nodded. "Okay then. Let's get going. We have less than two hours before this ship leaves the planet's atmosphere."

"Alright, here's the plan," Qwark said as he stood up. Skrunch jumped on his shoulder. "We go in, split up, remain in contact and bust some heads while we're at it."

Slim threw a fake kiss. "Short, sweet and to the point."

"Where's Nefarious?" Qwark asked.

Ratchet looked at the hole.

_RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!_

_GRIP-YANK!_

"_My gun!"_

_RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!_

_S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SPLORCH!_

"He's having the time of his life," the lombax simpered.

"Let's join him," Slim said as he made for the hole.

* * *

Ratchet was the last one to land. 

The hall had a smell of blood.

He didn't only smell it; he saw it.

Several bloods corpses littered the hall left and right. Even if Ratchet knew any of the dead thugs, he wouldn't be able to recognize them. Bullets and body parts were everywhere.

It made everyone feel uneasy.

And in the centre of it all, Nefarious stood, panting. He had a stolen gun in his arm. He was stained with purple blood.

"I'll go that way," Nefarious said as he jabbed a thumb behind him. He dropped the gun and dashed away.

"I'll go that way as well," Qwark said.

Everyone stared at him.

"What? Nefarious would have cleared the way."

Before anyone could say anything or stare, Qwark ran down the hall Nefarious went. Skrunch hung onto his shoulder.

"Let's go the other way," Slim said.

"Right," Ratchet nodded. Clank jumped on his back.

* * *

"….." 

"…."

"….."

They stopped, for they where in a room with five different routs.

"I don't remember the other ship being like this," Slim said.

"Let's just pick one," Ratchet said.

"That one," Slim pointed straight ahead.

He walked, Ratchet following a few feet behind him.

As soon as Slim had entered the new hall--

_**CLAMP!.!.!.!.!**_

--a steel door shot out of the ceiling, preventing anyone from passing.

The tyhrranoid jumped.

"_Slim!" _Ratchet's voice called from the other side. _"Are you all right?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine," Slim put himself against the door. "This must be some sort of defense system. Heinous must know we're here."

"_Don't worry, I'll get to ya!"_

"Don't! It might be another trap. Just go a different way and we'll meet later."

"_Okay!"_

Slim headed down the hall. He found a sliding door.

Shwisshhh. It opened.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Six waiting thugs attacked Slim with several shots of lead and other substances.

There where several of them, but Slim was only concerned about the one at the end of the hall. He was standing in front of an elevator. His left eye twitched at he struggled to stand up straight.

The Thugs-4-Less Leader…

FWOOOOOOSH! Slim blurred across the walls.

Weapons were on no use to him this time.

Three thugs waited for him.

Plant.

Slim landed, crouched and swung his foot low.

TR-TRIP!

He tripped two thugs, causing them to fall over each other.

GRIP!

Slim grabbed the third on by the shoulders, held him over his head and--

WHUMP!.!.!.!

--threw him on the other two.

"OOF!"

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Lancers fired madly at Slim, porously missing the grounded thugs.

Slim took one of the thug's guns and fired.

BANG!

"AAAAAH! A thug dropped his gun and clutched his wounded leg.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

FWOOOOOSH!

Slim jumped and ran up the wall, on the ceiling, and down the other wall, shooting.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Two ankles, a hip, and two shoulders were shot pointblank.

Five thugs screamed, dropped their weapons and clutched their wounds. All except one stubborn thug.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Slim arched left, right, ducked jumped and flipped.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!

The thug blinked.

TWOOOOOSH-THWAP!

Slim threw his gun into the thug's crotch.

The snivlakian went cross-eyed and clutched his nether regions.

That was the last thug.

Slim looked ahead.

The Leader was limping into the elevator.

Slim ran.

The elevator doors were closing.

Slim jumped and--

Plant!

--landed inside the spacious elevator.

And.

One the opposite side.

Leaning against a wall.

His left eye twitching.

Was none other then the thug Leader.

Slim had recognized this man from all the commercials he saw. This was the same thugs-4-Less leader as before alright.

"So nice you could join us," the Leader droned.

"This is the same thug Leader from last time?" Slim mocked with a smirk. "You look a little different."

"That's what happens when a brain tumor is removed in an operation."

Slim's three eyes widened.

"Do not be so surprised," the Leader emotionlessly said. "I've had it ever since I was born. It lay dormant inside me fer decades. When it was too much, operations 'ad to be done. However, this was a fact when I was stranded on a deserted island. I was there, cuz I hit the ejector seat when my robot blew up. On the island, I started having problems. I was barely alive when an old fisherman discovered me."

"This happened about a year ago, right?"

"Yes. And it changed me mentally more than physically."

"I can see that."

"Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about other things."

Slim leaned his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you, Slim Cognito. Or should I say Experiment 5?"

Slim's eyes widened.

"You seem surprised," the Leader said. "Of course, you do. We never met before."

"What do you want from me?.!.?.!" Slim asked.

"To tell you something."

"Then tell me!" Slim took two steps forward.

"The other experiments," the Leader said. "I know where they are."

Slim blinked. He frowned "LIAR!"

FWOOOOOOSH!

He blurred forward with a fist.

CLUTCH!.!.!.!

With his right rand, the Leader caught it.

Slim was speechless.

In one second…

The Leader let go of the fist, moved his had to the wrist, undid the Storage Watch and pulled it off the white skin.

Slim's eyes winded again. "H-How?"

"I don't 'ave nerve damage in **all** of my body," the Leader said as he pocketed the watch.

WHAP!

He uppercut Slim.

The tyhrranoid stumbled back. He then stopped and stared at the Leader in disbelief.

The man from Snivelak pulled out a conical flask from his pocket. It glowed in yellow light.

"What the heck is that?" Slim asked.

"Essence of Experiment 3," the Leader said.

Slim's fists clenched.

The Leader leaned his head to the side mockingly. "Still believe I'm a liar?"

Slim's face hardened. "No, that could be anything in that vial."

"Believe what ya want," the Leader raised the flask over his head. "I know the truth."

Slim stood, ready for anything.

The Leader frowned at the tyhrranoid threw the flask to the elevator floor.

SHATTER!

The flask shattered between his feet. Instantly, the glass flew apart and the yellow glow drifted upwards like colorful steam. It 'absorbed' itself into the Leader's legs, abdomen, torso, arms, neck, and face. He took a deep breath. At the end of his inhalation, his entire body momentarily shined in what appeared to be a yellow aura. His eyes seemed softer than before…but still just as emotionless.

Slim blinked.

"Let's give those unnatural abilities of yours a little run-through, shall we, E5?"

SWOOOOOOSH!

He blurred at Slim.

The tyhrranoid could barely gasp--

WHAM! CRASH!

The elevator doors shattered behind Slim as the thug Leader plowed into him and shoved him onto the floor of another blank hallway.

Slim wheezed.

The Leader glowed yellow as he stood before Slim. This time, he was standing up straight.

"That yellow substance has healed me of my nerve damage," he said. "It is temporary though."

"What do you want from me?" Slim asked a second time as he stood up.

"To tell you about what will happen three years from now……and what happened three years ago."

"Will you stop with the riddles and just get to the point?"

The Leader didn't waist any time.

"Before Dr. Heinous gave up, he tried one more time in his attempts to become a hero."

"?.?.?.?"

"Another experiment, E5. Experiment 6."


	38. Prophecy Part 2

**Chapter Thirty-eight: Prophecy Part 2**

_STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-**STOMP!**_

_Experiment 6 nears Heinous._

_The scientist shivers as it grows colder and colder and colder and colder._

"_Just let me explain!" Heinous pleads._

"_**There's nothing to explain!" **the monster growls._

"**Dr. Heinous' life was in jeopardy. Experiment 6 was going to kill him then and there. But Heinous persisted."**

"_Don't you wanna know your propose?" Heinous quakes even more. "Why I made you? Why you're here?"_

_The monster stops. It stands menacingly as it asks, **"What is my purpose?"**_

"_To defeat Chairman Drek!"_

"**Heinous explained everything about the galaxy's fate. How a blarg named Drek was going to take pieces of several planets and join them together, creating a new planet………but destroying many others. He described him, leaving out no details."**

_Experiment 6 is still not satisfied. **"Is that it?.! Then what?.!.?.!"**_

_Heinous fumbles for words._

_He takes a deep breath and explains past mistakes._

"**Dr. Heinous told Experiment 6 about the other experiments. He mentioned them in order. He even bothered telling what they looked like and what species they were. He implied that they were dead and E6 was the last one. He lied though, telling that all the other experiments died fighting Drek."**

"_**Now you're talking," **E6 said. **"I shall go and fight Drek, but…"**_

_It leans in closed to Heinous._

_The scientist gets colder and he flattens himself against the wall._

"…_**if Drek is already dead. Or he doesn't exist. OR he's not doing this, then you will DIE!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

_Heinous gulps._

_E6 turns and makes for the lab's exit._

"_Wait!" Heinous calls. "How will you find Drek?"_

"_**I have my ways."**_

"_But I haven't even told you about your abilities!"_

"_**I will figure them out for myself."**_

"**Experiment 6 already knew what abilities it possessed. Heinous was afraid then."**

_SMASH!_

_E6 breaks the lab's door down and leaves._

_Heinous is left alone._

_The coldness stops and he relaxes._

_He then gets up and presses a button located on the wall._

_WUUUUUUUR-CHINK!_

_A second sliding door covered the exit E6 leaves through. _

_The scientist runs to the Evolver and takes a DNA sample._

_He then starts working on something._

"**While Dr. Heinous toiled away, Experiment 6 went looking for Drek. It had no idea where Drek would be, but it searched. It eventually found out when it saw a commercial about the destruction of Planet Veldin. It stole a ship and traveled to Kyzil Plateau."**

_E6 stands above a giant stalagmite._

_It watches a battle commence above the Deplanetizer._

_A lombax with a robot-like backpack is using Gadgetron weapons against a giant robot._

_E6 knows who's in the robot._

_Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek. _

_Once the robot defeats the foolish lombax and robot, E6 will jump in and do what the lombax couldn't._

_However, things don't go as planned._

"**The plan didn't go as intended."**

_A missile is shot at the giant robot._

_It flips backwards and lands on a semicircle-shaped edge._

_The sudden impact causes a rotating piece of the Deplanetizer to turn._

_The semicircle-shaped edge on the other side is going to squash the robot…along with Drek._

_E6 stares._

_Suddenly, the robot shoots skyward._

_E6 watches as the robot becomes smaller and smaller, heading towards the artificial planet._

_There's a small puff of smoke on the part of the planet where Drek disappeared._

_The laser is pointing up._

_The lombax stared, mesmerized._

_The robot notices something. He tugs the lombax's leg and says something._

_E6 watches, curious._

_The lombax says something._

_The robot points._

_The lombax notices that a switch to fire the Deplanetizer is visible._

"**Experiment 6 watched as…"**

_With the robot on his back as a jetpack, the lombax runs to the button. He jumps on it, jumps up, his jetpack's thrusters point upward and ignite, causing the lombax to wham his rear-end into the button, activating the giant laser._

"…**its mission was foiled."**

_The laser shakes, a yellow glow forming at his tip._

_Then--_

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

_--a huge, yellow beam emerges from the laser's mouth, traveling up to the fake planet--_

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

_--causing an explosion._

_E6 watches as the planet Drek is on is blown up._

_Several pieces of the planet collide with Veldin's surface._

_None of them collide with E6._

_It's no longer looking at the lombax and the robot._

_Its eyes remain focused up._

"**However, E6 was determined to finish its goal. Believing Drek was still alive, it got into the stolen ship and traveled to the remains of the planet. It had to be quick though, because the surviving pieces were heading for the sun."**

_Plant._

_E6 lands in a piece of a stolen forest._

_There is still atmosphere on this planet, but it is slowly diminishing…….even though it's not important._

_Before its feet, lies a blue object._

_E6 picks it up._

"…………"

_It examines it._

_A ball stuck to a string._

_Upon closer inspection, E6 realizes what it is._

_Someone's eye._

_E6 throws the eye over its shoulder and treks._

"**It was its purpose."**

_E6 finds something._

"_**?"**_

_It looks like the robot he saw earlier._

_Drek must have moved it out of the way._

**It was determined."**

_It jumps to the robot's head and looks inside._

_The cockpit's empty, its two levers broken._

"**But…"**

_The glass is broken._

_There's a trail._

_A trail of blood._

"…**things…"**

_E6 follows._

_It sees glass shards as he goes along._

_It finds an expensive shoe._

_It moves on._

"…**went…"**

_E6 moves through a bush. _

_And it sees him._

"…**wrong."**

_Chairman Drek is on his front._

_Not moving._

_Missing a hand._

_Hair all messed up._

_Suit stained and scratched with shards of glass._

"**Heinous' fear made him forget about the whole 'train and clone' plan. All he said was for Experiment 6 to defeat Drek. Leaving out the part when it's too late to save the galaxy because Ratchet and Clank are busy doing it………"**

_E6 turns the body over._

_It looks at Drek's face. Or rather………what's left of it._

_The eye he found was definitely Drek's, because the right half of the head is missing._

_E6 concentrates and 'feels' the air._

"…………"

_There is no ounce of life left._

_E6 lets the carcass fall._

_It'll eventually be destroyed by the vacuum of space._

_E6 growls._

_E6 tenses._

"………**Heinous had signed his own will that day."**

_E6 screams._

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

"**Heinous was going to receive a visit……………and he probably knew it."**

_Heinous sighs in relief as he finishes his latest invention._

_He holds a remote control with a single, green button._

_He smiles at himself._

"_With this, he won't get me. And by the time it wears off, I'll--"_

_He stops as he realizes the room is getting unnaturally cold._

_He can see his own breath._

"_?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!" he backs up against a wall._

_**SMASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

_The second door is broken through._

"**Anyone could guess that E6 was bent on revenge. But Dr. Heinous was ready, however……"**

_E6 marches towards Heinous._

"_**He was already dead,"** E6 says simply before continuing to advance._

_Heinous holds out a shivering arm with a remote in it._

_E6 doesn't stop._

_Heinous presses the button._

_E6 screams as he clutchesits head. An unknown sound is banging at its drums._

_Ite screws his eyes shut and retreats._

_Heinous relaxes._

"……**things wouldn't last forever."**

_Somewhere in the Solana galaxy…_

…_E6 sleeps in a cave._

_The remote has weakened him._

_It covers himself in a cocoon and slumbers._

_But one thing's for certain._

_Experiment 6 will be back._

"**Although Dr. Heinous had managed to ward away Experiment 6, it wasn't permanent. Experiment 6 covered itself in a cocoon and is now hibernating. It will return though. And it'll have a new death list. The other experiments, Heinous, Ratchet, Clank and anyone who's involved with them."

* * *

**

"Experiment 6 shall return one day," the glowing thug Leader said, "and it'll come after the experiments……including you." 

Slim heard every word said to him from the other side of the hall. He was silently taking it all in.

"Once done, it will go on a killing spree, truly earning the name of Death."

"So……," Slim said as he looked at the Leader. It took him until now to notice that the man's left eye wasn't twitching, "….you want me to join your side to defeat this monster thing?"

"…….," the thug just nodded his gold-outlined head.

"Well, all I have to say is…………"

The Leader waited.

"………no……..stinkin'…………way."

The Leader blinked.

"We've never met. I don't even know you as much as you think you know me. There were the commercials, but that's it. You can't just walk up to me and ask for--!"

"'Yes' or 'no', E5?" the Leader said patiently.

"No," Slim said.

"I'll say that I'm disappointed with you, E5," the Leader said. The yellow glow increased. "I'll just have to convince you."

TWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!

He blurred at Slim.

The tyhrranoid was ready this time.

TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THWAP!.!.!.!

The man from Snivelak unleashed a fury of punches at Slim's arms which were held in front of him in an 'X' shape.

Slim blocked and walked backwards.

His dorsal fin came in contact with an automatic door.

The thug Leader pulled back and swung a fist at Slim's middle eye stem.

Slim bent his middle optic.

CRUNCH!

The thug's fist flew through the door.

Slim swung his foot at the Leader's belly.

CLUTCH!

The lizard man caught it and--

SLAM!

--slammed Slim onto the floor behind him.

Slim tried to manipulate the current situation, but failed; the Leader was too strong.

WHOOOSH!

Slim was hurled at the damaged door.

SMASH!

He broke it down and--

WHAP!

--crashed into a railing.

He took two seconds to observe his surroundings.

He was on an observation balcony. To the right was an elevator that led to a catwalk which over looked a huge processing plant of sorts. Steam hissed and machinery parts cranked all around. There where conveyor belts, robot arms, moving platforms, pulley systems, rattling chains, and all sorts of fancy devices constructed for the mass packaging of a mysterious material. And that mysterious material turned out to be raritanium. Before Slim's eyes, a shipment was being prepared.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Slim turned around.

The Leader walked through the door way. He glowed as he stood over the broken door. He hadn't even broken a sweat.

"This is the raritanium Jeremiah is so obsessed with."

Slim blinked.

"Heinous wants all this to power a weapon he has built. Yes, E5, it's finished. It was finished by the time Heinous arrived to Bogon. The weapon will turn all organic life-forms into robots. You're familiar with the Biobliterator, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Slim uttered.

"The weapon Jeremiah has planned will be far more powerful than the one Vincent used one year ago."

"And you don't care?" Slim clenched his fists.

"Heinous only wants Solana," the Leader said.

"Besides using organics to help him destroy organics--again--he's been mind-controlling your thugs," Slim sneered, hoping to get a shocked reaction.

"I know."

Slim's eyes widened.

"Your own thugs? How could you?.!"

"It's no trouble, really. They're perfectly normal now. We've even erased their memories about it and changed them to thinking that they did their best and failed. It's a small price to pay."

"All for the Bolts?.!.?.!"

The edges of the Leader's lips dropped.

"I do not care about money in the least."

SHOOOOM!

He ran forward.

Slim side-stepped.

The Leader reached a blind hand out, grabbed a handful of white skin ("Aaagh!") and threw the albino freak down towards the catwalk.

Thump!

Slim landed on his back.

He rubbed the skin where a purple hand had grabbed.

And speaking of which…

CRUNCH!

The Leader's bare feet formed dents as he landed on the catwalk effortlessly.

Without looking, he grabbed the lever of a nearby console, broke it off and threw it at the white one.

While still on his back, Slim caught the lever between his feet.

He threw it up, stood up and caught it just in time to block a--

CLANK!

-- glowing, gloved fist from the thug.

The Leader swung his other fist.

CLUTCH!

Slim caught it.

WHAP!

He was kicked in the shin.

Slim let go of the lever, and hopped back.

He grunted and blurred at the Leader with a raised fist--

THWAP!

He kicked the Leader in the stomach.

The glowing man didn't even teeter.

He grabbed Slim's foot and threw the tyhrranoid over the railings.

Slim's white fingers caught the edge.

STOMP!

The Leader stepped on them.

"AAAAGH!" Slim had no choice, but to let go.

He landed on a conveyer belt.

He readjusted his pants as he drifted under the catwalk.

As he came out from the other side, we waited.

But no one came.

Slim narrowed his unnatural blue eyes.

WHAM!

He was kicked in the rear.

He stumbled forward, stopped on a big piece of raritanium and turned around, glaring.

The thug Leader glared back. He glowed nefariously as he said, "I guess I was the one who kicked butt."

A smirk would have most likely appeared on a normal person.

But the thug wasn't normal.

He just stared, his yellow glow never dissipating.

Slim reached behind him with both hands.

"NNNNNNNNN**NNHHHHH!**" he managed to lift the big piece of raritanium.

The thug's eyes barely widened.

"HAAAA!" Slim threw the element.

_**WHAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The Leader backhanded it.

The boulder flew and--

CRUNCH!

--dented another conveyer belt.

"How….?" Slim was at loss of words.

"Like I said……………Experiment 3."

"Rrrrrrgh!"

WHOOOSH!

Slim ran at the thug.

The thug side-stepped.

Slim passed him.

He kicked backwards.

The Leader bent his husky body to the left without looking.

Slim did a tornado kick.

The Leader ducked, grabbed a pale ankle and flung it over him.

Slim flew, reached a blind hand out and--

GRAB!

--grabbed a robot arm.

He swung forward, flipped and perched on the same robotic limb he caught. It was easy to keep balance, because the arm was only moving up and down like the others on this side of the large room.

Slim looked in three different directions.

"…………"

Only the sound of machinery.

THUNK!

"?"

With all three of his tentacled eyes, Slim looked left.

A piece of raritanium had flew and created a crater in the wall.

From the right--

THUNK!

Another piece of raritanium.

Slim sweated.

WHOOOOOSH!

He saw a yellow streak on the other side of the area.

The Leader was perched on another catwalk which was exactly at Slim's level.

He held a clump of raritanium in his gloved palm.

He chucked.

Slim ducked.

THUUUUUNK!

The wall above him was impacted.

More pieces of raritanium flew at him.

Slim jumped to another robotic arm as the one he was on before was destroyed.

The Leader moved along with him, chucking more and more.

Slim jumped forward, arched forward, ducked, jumped, jumped forward, grabbed a moving hook, and dangled.

THUNK! TH-THUNK! THONNNK! TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THIUUUUK!

Every shot missed.

No more came.

Slim let go and landed on a small monitor on a catwalk one story above the previous.

He waited.

He frowned.

GRABBBBBBBB!

He caught a fist that was meant for his right side.

He swung the thug Leader's body.

The snivlakean caught a railing, spun vertically and zoomed at Slim.

Slim jumped, allowing the monitor he was perched on to be--

CRACK!

--broken beyond repair.

Slim landed in a nimble squat.

The thug Leader pulled a piece of glass out of his cheek. His eyes didn't even tear.

The wound bled, but was ignored.

"Do you not see it, E5?" the Leader spoke. "The power I have, which was copied from Experiment 3. Imagine an entire army with this power, capable o' fighting off Experiment 6. But it's still not enough. You're the last Experiment I need, E5. Together, you, the other experiments and I will save the universe from Death."

"Shut…..the……Hell……..**_UP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"_**

Slim ran forward with a raised fist.

The Leader caught it and threw the tyhrranoid over his head.

Slim grabbed the railing, held onto it and swung his feet forward.

The Leader ran to the other side of the bridge.

They where five feet away from each other.

The Leader sighed. "You leave me no choice."

He raised one hand. It glowed yellow. It was even brighter than the rest of his body. His eyes glowed a hot gold.

And then--

FLASH!

--a curved blast of pure yellow shot out of the Leader's hand.

Slim gasped and jumped.

CLAAAAAA-AAAAAAK!

The railing he was at was cut where the yellow blast hit.

He looked at the Leader dumbly.

The Leader still had no humorous expression.

"Experiment 3 is very powerful," he said.

Slim bared his teeth.

FLASH!

Another wave of yellow.

Slim ducked quickly.

He panicked and made a run for it.

He ran to the railing and jumped off.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

More golden blasts flew at him.

Slim managed to dodge them all by spinning his body around in midair, finding the wall with his feet, and kicking off it to land on the next bridge.

He panted as he looked up and realized that this was the top bridge.

'_How'll I beat this without a weapon?' _he thought.

"You're fast, E5," the Leader's voice droned from one story down.

Slim panted some more.

"But I'm faster."

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Slim's eyes bulged. The thug Leader was right behind him.

He felt an increase in temperature.

He back-flipped.

FLASH!

A wave of yellow flew under him.

He landed and--

WHUP!

--was punched in the side.

He teetered.

WHOOOOSH!

The Leader blurred at him and…….kept going.

Slim looked at where his opponent went. The glowing man was standing in front of a pile of crates. Occasionally, a crane would come and pick a box up.

The Leader twirled something in his hand.

Slim did a double-take.

His fake eyes--which Slim had forgot where still in his pants' pocket--where in the Leader's hand. They must have been pick pocketed within a ten-second span.

"I saw these in a commercial," the Leader said. "I always did wonder how you made them move. You used these to hide your true identity. You should be proud of it and show yourself."

"And what?" Slim barked. "Be known as a freak?"

"There are no tyhrranoids in _this_ galaxy."

"So?"

The Leader sighed. He tossed the eyes back at Slim.

They were caught and pocketed.

Just the perfect distraction.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Eight flashes of yellow were hurled at the white freak.

Slim ducked, jumped, side-stepped, flipped, rolled, jumped, crouched, and side-stepped.

WHOOOOOSH!

The Leader blurred at him.

SHOOOOOM!

Slim also blurred.

The Leader caught him by the sides and threw him at the stack of crates.

Slim twirled his body. His feet found a crate and he kicked off it.

FLASH! FLASH!

The thug released two glowing blasts of yellow.

Slim gasped and tried blocking them.

WH-**WHAP!**

His arms were singed, but he succeeded in avoiding the blasts without dodging--

WHUMP!

--only to crash against the cold floor as a result of the Leader side-stepping.

The Leader stood over Slim. His eyes were no longer yellow, but he was still glowing.

"Very good, E5," he droned. He frowned. "But not good enough."

He prepared a fist--

_**WHUPPPPP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Slim kicked the thug in the crotch.

"…………….," the Leader didn't even flinch. He actually raised an eyebrow. "Are you that desperate?"

"Are you castrated?" Slim asked with a weak smirk.

"No," the Leader said. He grabbed Slim's ankle and tossed the tyhrranoid across the bridge. "You were too low."

That was it. Slim knew he couldn't beat this without a plan. He didn't have enough time to think, because the Leader was advancing on him. Slim got up, charged away and--

CRASH!

--crashed through the door behind him.

He didn't bother looking back.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

He just blurred.

SMASH!

He turned right and smashed through a wall.

SMASH!

Another.

SMASH!

Another.

He passed two halls.

SMASH!

A bathroom.

SMASH!

A hall guarded by suddenly startled thugs.

SMASH!

Another hall.

He turned left.

SMASH!

He ran forward--

GRAB!

--snatched a thug's gun right out of his and ("Hey!"), and aimed at the ceiling.

FWOOOOOOOM!

SM-SM-SM-SM-SMASH!

The missile launcher he stole broke through five stories of the ship before exploding in a small ball of fire.

Before the other thugs could aim, Slim jumped with all the strength he had in his albino legs.

He reached the last floor before a ceiling with no hole and ran.

SMASH!

More startled thugs.

SMASH!

A small cubicle section.

SMASH!

He could have sworn he saw Nefarious in his peripheral vision.

SMASH!

An ordinary computer was rendered useless.

Slim stole another gun and aimed down.

PHWOOOOOOOM!

SM-SM-SM-SM-SMASH!

He jumped down the new set of holes and fired some more.

PHWOOOOOOOM!

SM-SM-SM-SM-SMASH!

PHWOOOOOOOM!

SM-SM-SM-SM-SMASH!

He was given a view of a gold sky.

Slim threw the big gun down.

CLANK!

It landed over the hole and acted as a 'bridge' for Slim to land on.

Slim ran down the hall of the ship's bottom floor. It was the same kind of place as he, Qwark, and Skrunch where in on Planet Tabora. The dark, blue, cloudy sky was visible through the many identical windows on his right.

Slim stopped running to catch his breath.

"Too fast," he said.

A beat.

"I couldn't agree more."

Slim's eyes widened. He looked behind him.

The thug Leader stood there, still glowing. And as deadpan as ever.

"Why do you run from the truth?" he asked.

"I don't know how you do it," Slim lost his temper, "but I'm so gonna finish this!.!.!"

"On the contrary," the Leader said, "I'll be the one finishing it."

"You've told me all this crap. How do you know, and why are you telling me?"

"You're always asking the same questions," the Leader said a little louder than usual. "Haven't you wondered what your purpose in life is? You're so stubborn."

"Shut the bloody Hell up with all the frikking riddles!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! HRUAGH--!"

Something happened.

Slim was glowing a very faint white. It was like a silver outline. He suddenly felt stronger, faster, carefree, but at the same time……weak.

The thug's lips parted. He then spoke, "The hidden power. A supernatural force that increases the already increased agility, strength, etcetera. Another feature by Dr. Heinous. You're the last one I've seen who could actually tap into it."

Slim had more questions now.

"Because you became 'Slim Cognito', you had no idea that you held such power. I see that yours is built on Determination and Rage, the two emotions you're feeling most. The other experiments can also tap onto the power of the Spectrum and unleash their power."

"I'm not sure if any of that bullshit is true," Slim said, "but I'll try anything once."

"Good," the Leader said as he squatted. "Now, we can have a fair fight."

Slim shot his arm forward and…….

……..

………nothing happened.

"Huh?"

The Leader noticed. "While every experiment can tap into their power the same way, each power is different. You can't throw blasts as far as we know," his hands glowed yellow as head said, "but I can."

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Slim held both forearms out in an 'X' shape.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Every wave was blocked.

The thug jumped at him.

Slim caught the thug and threw him over his head.

He landed on his feet after twirling himself.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Slim ran up a wall, avoiding the waves and heading for more.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

He jumped, backhanded one yellow curve and rammed himself into the Leader.

WHAM!

The Leader skidded back, clutching his stomach. His teeth showed as he felt pain silently. His other hand shot more streams of yellow.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

They were aimed poorly.

Slim figured that the yellow power his opponent was using was soon going to run out.

He ran forward with a right hook.

The thug ducked and swung his foot low.

Glowing faint silver, Slim jumped, pushed off the ceiling with his hands and flew at the snivlakean.

_**THWABB!**_

Bare, pale feet met armored back.

The Leader stumbled forward.

Slim blurred around him and punched at his face.

GRIPPPPP!

The Leader caught it and--

**WHAM!**

--threw Slim against the wall.

Slim spat and ducked.

CRUNCH!

The Leader's fist dented the wall.

Slim swung his foot at his side.

The thug caught it.

Slim bent himself backwards, touched the floor with his hands and attempted curling into a fetus possession.

TWOOOSH!

The Leader had seen through the stunt and let go.

Slim ended up standing on his feet.

FLASH!

Slim ducked the yellow blast, blurred and--

THWAK!

--punched the Leader in the upper chest.

Some of the armor was broken off, revealing a dark shirt.

At one point, his wheezing body fell on the floor. He gasped…struggling for breath and yet somehow keeping his emotions in check, save for an awkward slice of desperation: "Y-You have passed the test, E5. A-Allow me to live and I c-c-can help you!.!"

Slim gritted his teeth and punched again.

The Leader rolled to the right.

DENT!

Slim created a crater in the floor.

The thug stood up. He was having trouble with it.

"Your past……… I can tell you everything about it. I can explain everything. Every truth I learned!"

"HRUUUUAGH!"

POW!

The Leader's right shoulder blade was shattered by a pale fist.

He teetered back, the yellow glow fading.

"I c-c-c-can help you……..," he wheezed, "find them….E5."

Slim stopped.

His lips quivered.

The silver glow began to fade.

The Leader leaned against a window, panting. His face was scrunched up in pain and exhaustion. He continued, "The experiments……I-I can help you u-u-unite."

The silver glow grew.

Slim's heart grew cold.

"LIAR!"

The tyhrranoid charged straight at him, his body exploding with a silver aura.

_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The thug Leader spat blood and saliva from the punch in the cheek. He groaned and fell towards the window…..headfirst.

SHATTER!

The window broke and the Leader fell through.

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Slim ran forward and shot one arm through the opening.

CLUTCH!.!.!.!.!.!

Slim grabbed a handful of the Leader's shirt that was bare through the missing armor. The thug dangled over the cold clouds. His and Slim's breaths were visible. The yellow glow died out as he said it would, resulting in the thug's left parts dangling even more. His eye twitched as usual. At the same time, Slim's silver glow dissipated, meaning that tyhrranoid was even weaker. He had lost all of his strength in the power up and now could barely keep his grip.

Slim was used to conditions such as these.

But the Leader couldn't stop shivering.

He spoke with a hint of sadness, "You're more alone than I thought, E5."

His right gloved hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. Slim's watch.

"I believe this is yours," he said as he threw the device into the ship.

One of Slim's eyes followed the watch. It landed on the floor and was temporarily forgotten.

"But perhaps not for long," he whispered as--with the same hand--he reached into another pocket and fingered the hilt of a knife. "You still have Heinous to stop."

"What?' Slim strained.

"This ship was only a distraction," the Leader said as his left eye twitched. He shivered more and more and would have been frozen to death if it wasn't for the ship's force field. "Heinous has secretly sent another ship to collect raritanium."

"Where?' Slim tried to sound though.

"The Wupash Nebula. He's already halfway done. He might even be leaving the galaxy as I speak."

He pulled the knife out.

Slim squinted at it.

The Leader took a breath, the last breath he would ever take. "Alas, such is the consequence of fate. It clips us of our wings…and sends our dust settling back into the heartless streets."

Slim's lips parted.

"Good luck with Experiment 6," the Leader's last words, "you'll need it."

RIIIIIIIIP!.!.!.!.!

He cut through his shirt with the knife.

Slim gasped and reached down for him……but it was too late.

The Leader fell through the cold air. But……..he didn't scream. He didn't flail. He didn't look afraid. He just kept his red eyes locked on Slim's unnaturally blue ones. He was soon absorbed by the thick clouds.

Slim sighed. The piece of shirt in his hand flapped like a flag. The reason he didn't go back to his watch was that it was already too late to save the thug's life.

He sauntered over towards his Storage Watch and tied it around his wrist.

He equipped a communicator and was bout to call, when it beeped.

"Jack here," Slim said.

"_Slim, this is Ratchet. Don't worry, I'm not in public. I just got a call from Nefarious. He and Qwark have set up a detonator in the control room. It'll go off in five minutes. I've called for a ranger dropship to come and pick us up. I know your location, so hand tight."_

"And I know where Heinous will be striking next," Slim said.

"_W-What? Um, good. Tell us when we meet."_

Slim sighed and slumped down against a wall. "I here you. Slim out."

* * *

This story has less than ten chapters to go, I think. Review, please. 


	39. Third time's the charm

**Chapter Thirty-nine: Third time's the charm**

The door-bridge closed.

"Great jump, Jack," Qwark said.

Slim smiled weakly as he say down on a bench.

Ratchet seemed concerned. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Slim uttered. "Just a little exhausted."

"You said you knew where Heinous would be," Ratchet said.

"Yeah. He'll be--"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nefarious hushed them as he watched the screen which displayed the ship they where on a few minutes ago. "I wanna see the explosion."

"Ranger, are we at a safe distance?"

"Yes, Captain Qwark. We're safe from the--"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!..!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The ship exploded in a great, big ball of fire. Several more small explosions uncured in reaction. Hundreds of small pieces of debris went flying everywhere while the ship itself fell towards the clouds.

"That was cool!" Nefarious said with a stupid grin.

"Man, I'd hate to be directly under that ship when it crashes," Qwark said.

Slim seemed sadder. If the Leader survived the fall, he'd be crushed by the falling ship. He didn't like him, but still………..he wanted answers to what his purpose was. Although he didn't show it, he was curious about what the thug said. Was it true? Were the other experiments alive? All of them? If not, which ones were dead? Where were they? How would Slim meat them if--?

"Jack?"

Slim's mind ceased wandering. He turned one eye to the right.

Clank sat next to him. His face was plain, but his mind wasn't.

"Is something the matter?" the robot asked. "You look unhappy."

"I'm just worried," Slim said. "Heinous sent a second ship to the Wupash Nebula."

Everyone was listening.

"How do you know?" Nefarious asked, eyebrow raised.

Slim sighed. "How I know isn't important. What is important is getting there before Heinous has enough raritanium."

"Right," Ratchet said. "Ranger, get us to the Phoenix pronto."

"Aye, sir!"

* * *

"…_as you can see behind me, there has been yet another robbery at a convenience store. Officials believe that a lombax-buginoid hybrid thief, known as 'Pincer', is responsible for all these heists. He has entered and exited the crime scenes in the exact same fashion. No one has been seriously hurt, but Pincer can still be dangerous. Captain Starsheild says he's going to do all he can to catch this thief. If you are in Metropolis and you own a small store, it is suggested that you--"_

-blip-

"Hey, I was watching that!" Al wined as he turned his head around the sofa he was sitting on. His expression changed when he saw Sasha. "Oh…er… Hi, Captain!"

"We have better things to do than watch new about some common thief," the captain said.

"But _I_ own a store," Al said, gesturing at himself.

"You haven't returned to that place in weeks," Skidd said from the other sofa.

"So?" Al defended his old job. "I could go back anytime."

"Dude, you being a--"

"Ahem," Sasha interrupted, getting the men's attention. "Ratchet transmitted a signal, telling us that he and the others are returning here."

"Did they stop Heinous?" Al asked.

"No, they didn't," Sasha's face saddened some. "According to Jack, the ship on Grelbin was a distraction for another ship."

"Where?"

"Somewhere called the Wupash Nebula," Sasha said. "A very hot part of the galaxy."

"Hey, Sasha," another voice called.

Everyone looked.

Ratchet stood in the doorway.

"We're ready to go," he said.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Skidd asked.

"We were in a hurry," Ratchet said quickly. "Where's Angela?"

"She went to Lunar City to collect the remains of the protopet _you_ destroyed," Sasha said with a small smirk.

Ratchet blushed slightly.

"Can we just go?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure," Sasha said as she walked briskly passed him.

* * *

"Have you tried medicine?" Albert remarked. 

"How can I?" Heinous gestured, pointing to the sick-looking sand shark on his bed. "She's a robot."

"Maybe, there's something wrong with her circuits."

"Probably," Heinous rubbed his chin. "If that's the case, we'll have to wait until she works it out of her."

Albert raised an eyebrow. "Meaning…..?"

"……."

"…….."

"Never mind."

A beat.

Albert changed the subject. "How's the raritanium collection going?"

"Good question," Heinous chirped as he walked over to his desk and pressed a button.

While the screen rose, Albert spoke some more, "Sir, I'm having a problem with this base."

Heinous leaned his green head to the side. "Huh?"

"It's just too big. I almost got lost when walking."

"You'll get used to it."

Albert made to protest, but the screen was already buzzing with static. Heinous punched in a frequency and, in under a second, a thug henchman's face was seen on the oversized viewing system.

"_Mr. Heinous, how can I help you?" _the thug said.

"No need to be formal," Heinous said. "How's the collection going?"

"_It's going just fine. We've almost got a full cargo."_

"Awesome!"

"_Are you sure you won't be needing a fleet of ships as defense?"_

"Hmmmmm," Heinous hummed as he rubbed his chin. He then said, "Go for it."

"_Certainly," _the thug nodded. _"Another thing…we have received word that the ship on Grelbin has gone down."_

"No need to worry about that," Heinous said overconfidently. "Those losers will think they've done a good job while I'm using a second ship."

"_Is there anything else?"_

"Nope, go on. And remember, stay on guard. Things might not go exactly as planned."

"_I'll keep that in mind. Over and out."_

The screen went black.

* * *

Several Thugs-4-Less ships flew left and right around the Wupash Nebula. They were careful not to go too close to the Sun, otherwise its gravitational pull would have pulled them in, resulting in incineration. They were using their weapons to break floating crystal, releasing raritanium. In the centre of it all, was a gigantic ship, the same models as the ones that had gone down on Tabora and Grelbin. The large vessel was also doing its best to collect as much glowing rocks as possible. And a few light years away, a giant, forty-story cube drifted.

* * *

"Okay, Ratchet," Sasha spoke to the lombax, who was leaning against his personal ship. "A ranger dropship is too slow to navigate through this quadrant of the galaxy without getting destroyed. You'll have to use your ship and infiltrate the collector, apply this bomb--" she held out a bomb with a timer "--and blow up the control room. You'll need to enter the ship, because your nukes won't work on the shield Dr. Heinous installed." 

"No problem," Ratchet said confidently, "it's about time Clank and I go solo."

"Don't get cocky, Ratchet," Sasha warned.

"I won't," Ratchet grabbed the explosive and absorbed it with his watch. "Let's go, Clank," he said in his usual tone to the robot.

Clank merely nodded.

The ship's lid was already opened.

Ratchet jumped in, followed by Clank. The lid closed and the thrusters glowed.

Sasha saluted; Ratchet saluted back through the glass. The ship hovered turned a one hundred and eighty degree turn and flew through the vacuum-proof opening.

Nefarious walked and stopped by Sasha's side.

"You know he's gonna die," the robot said suddenly, "right?

"Don't say that," Sasha spat. "He's been in worse situations before."

"Whatever," Nefarious said yawningly. "Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?"

"There's too much to do."

"Uh huh. Where's Courtney?"

"In the game room."

"Good to know."

* * *

TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF! 

Ratchet's ship fired blue cannon blasts at a thug ship, destroying it instantly.

Other ships realized and opened fire.

TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TFT-FTF-TF!

The red ship twirled, firing missiles.

PHWOOM! PHWOOOOM! PHWOOOM!

* * *

"I just realized something, Clank," Ratchet said as he button-bashed. 

"What?" Clank asked without looking.

"I have no idea how we're gonna infiltrate the ship."

"_That's where I come in."_

Ratchet blinked. He looked at the ship's screen.

"_Hi," _Al's image said.

"Al?" Ratchet remarked.

"_I've studied the Thugs-4-Less ships' structure and have equipped your ship with a device that'll allow it to look like theirs."_

"Really?" Ratchet was intrigued.

"_Yeah. But it won't work unless you destroy all the nearby ships."_

Ratchet pressed a button, dividing the screen in two. Al's face took up the top, while a radar on the bottom showed that there where three ships.

"I'm on it," he said.

"Thank you, Al," Clank uttered.

"_No problem," _Al waved him off as if it was no big deal. _"All I did was install a holographic matrix adaptor with--"_

Click.

Ratchet turned the monitor off.

"What was that for?" Clank asked as if his companion had just said the worst of words.

Ratchet shrugged. "My hand slipped."

* * *

**PHWOOOOOM!**

Ratchet fired a torpedo.

The ship he was aiming at went 'up' and dodged it.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAST!

The hero's ship's shield took some damage from blasts coming from the right.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

The thrusters sent the ship forward by several yards. It then turned around, took aim, and fired.

FWOOOOOM!

BOOOOOM!

A Thugs-4-Less ship was destroyed.

The red ship did ten side flips for some reason.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAST!

Another thug ship was attacking from behind.

Ratchet's ship flew up, did a flip and ended up behind the thug ship.

TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF-TF!

BOOOOOM!

Another enemy ship was out of it.

The last one came in view.

FWUUUUM!

A mine was launched at it.

Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!

BOOOOOOM!

* * *

"Well, that's the last one," Ratchet said. 

"I believe there are more than just three, Ratchet," Clank announced.

The lombax rolled his eyes. "The last nearby one."

Clank said nothing.

"How does the cloaking device work?" Ratchet asked.

"Try that button," Clank pointed.

Ratchet looked and noticed for the first time a blue button above the screen.

"…..," the lombax reached a gloved hand out and pressed the switch.

-click-

"….."

"……"

"….."

"….."

Nothing seemed different.

Ratchet craned his neck to see the ship's nose. It was the same as usual.

"Maybe, Al made a mistake?" Ratchet questioned.

"I doubt it, Ratchet," Clank said.

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. Clank pointed out side. Ratchet looked.

Several Thugs-4-Less ships, that had just neared the red ship, where drifting around. But they didn't attack.

* * *

The imposter Thugs-4-Less ship flew towards the collection ship. 

It neared the enormous vessel and the lombax and robot inside noticed an opening with a space-proof shield.

Wasting no time, the 'thug ship' flew through the shield and--

* * *

--entered a garage-like area. Ratchet was puzzled; he never saw a place like this in the other ship. 

**

* * *

**

"_Okay, Ratchet," _Sasha's image onscreen said as one second after it switched on….startling Ratchet_, "make your way to the control room and administer the bomb. There's an elevator to your right. Get there before any thugs see you."_

"Got it," Ratchet said.

* * *

The lid opened. 

Ratchet jumped out, followed by Clank. The lid closed.

"Are you sure it is wise to leave the ship like a thug ship?" Clank asked, looking up at Ratchet.

"If the thugs see it, they'll impound it like last time or destroy it," the lombax responded.

"But how will we know which one to take when we ret--?"

"Let's think about the minor details later," Ratchet interrupted.

Without question, Clank jumped and landed on Ratchet's back in his Heli-Pack mode.

The lombax ran into the nearby elevator, which was on the same floor as he was, jumped in and pressed the top button.

"Stay on by back," Ratchet said. "No doubt Heinous upped the security encase we found out the other on was a decoy."

"Affirmative."

"This'll take us to the top."

"On the contrary, Ratchet, there are many elevators all which stop and being on different floors."

Ratchet looked annoyed. "You mean….?"

"This won't take us to the top."

"Oh well. I'll just have to have some fun one the way."

"You do not mean that you're going to kill, do you, Ratchet?"

"Why not? I've done it before."

"Ending lives is not always the solution, Ratchet."

"…….."

"You know what I mean, right?"

Ratchet signed. "Right."

"Good."

"…."

"….."

"….."

"……."

"We're here."

The elevator made no ding sound as it opened. Ratchet was given a view of another hallway with a sliding door at the end.

He jogged towards the door……

……which exploded.

BOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet fell back with a grunt.

He looked up and gasped.

Three Thugs-4-Less elite henchmen stood at the door, aiming Heavy Lancers.

"Ratchet, what's--?"

"Clank, I want you to be quiet."

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Ratchet rolled right kicked his feet up, forced himself up, equipped his Mine Glove and threw several spheres while strafing.

The balls grew spikes and hovered towards the thugs.

One lunged forward and whacked them with the butt of his gun.

BOOOOOM! BOOOO-OOOO-OOOM! B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOOM!

Ratchet's eyes bugged.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Ratchet equipped his wrench and spun it like a fan in front of him.

C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CLANG!

While doing this, he ran forward, a Walloper in his free hand.

The thugs ceased fire.

One jumped over Ratchet. The other two-side stepped.

Each thug landed a foot on Ratchet's back/Clank.

The lombax stumbled towards the doorway and bumped into something.

He looked up.

A second class brute looked down at him. He swung his foot at Ratchet's chest.

KLUNKKK!

The lombax blocked with the broad side of his wrench.

The brute brought his foot down, pulled out a Mini-Nuke and fired.

Ratchet ducked the bomb.

BOOOOOM!

It landed behind him. Apparently, the other thugs miraculously dodged it.

"What the Hell?" Ratchet was dumb founded.

The brute aimed again.

Ratchet swung his wrench low.

TRIP!

He managed to trip the thug over.

From behind….

Cli-Click! Clak!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Ratchet jumped over the grounded thug, the shots only aiming at him.

He landed in a row and shot a missile from his newly equipped Devastator.

PHOOOOOM!

All the thugs dodge it.

Ratchet was at a loss of words.

"Behind--!"

A pair of purple hands grabbed him from behind.

Ratchet growled, reached behind him, grabbed a bare arm with both hands and attempted throwing the henchman over him.

However, the thug behind him manipulated this move and instead threw the lombax over shoulder.

Ratchet twirled his body around and landed in a sliding crouch.

He looked in front of him.

The brute had just gotten up. The first three thugs stood by his side as did the one who just flipped Ratchet over.

"……"

All five stared glowing a yellow hue.

Ratchet raised an eyebrow.

FWOOOOOSH!

One of the three thugs blurred at him.

"!.!.!.!.!" Ratchet panicked and held his wrench up in front of him.

CLANG!

The thug quickly back-flipped. And as he did--

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

The three thugs and brute unleashed Heavy Lancer fire.

Ratchet strained to deflect every shot with his wrench.

C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CLA-CL-C-CLAN-CC-C-C-C-C-C-C-**CLANG!**

Plant.

The thug who blurred at Ratchet five seconds ago landed from his back-flip.

**FWOOOOOO_-OOOOOSH!_**

The three henchmen blurred at him in a yellow streak.

Ratchet lunged at the nearest one with his Walloper.

CLIIIIIICK!

The thug blocked with his gun.

The other two flipped over Ratchet and landed behind him.

Ratchet stupidly looked at them.

WHAM!

He was punched in the jaw by the thug who blocked his attack.

The thugs behind him gave way for him to teeter back.

Ratchet regained his sense.

The two henchmen back-kicked at him.

Ratchet jumped back. The thugs flattened themselves against the wall.

Except one.

TWOOOOOOOO**OOOOOSH!**

The brute blurred at him with a fist at the ready.

_**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Ratchet flew back and--

CRAAAAAAAASH!

--created a hole in a door he had just went through.

He groaned and stood up.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Clank."

They looked around and found that they where in a maze of cubical. Several different offices lay all about, making it difficult to navigate through without getting lost.

"Why is there a cubical area on a ship that collects raritanium?" Ratchet asked.

FLASH!

CRASH!

A wave of yellow flew through the door destroying it. It then went through several work stations before dissipating.

Ratchet saw the five thugs blurring at him.

He made a run for it.

"Ratchet," Clank said while the lombax ran, "I've found an exit that'll take us to the next set of floors."

"Where?" Ratchet panted.

"The North Wing of this area."

"Where are we now?"

"……….The South Wing."

"Great."

FLASH! F-FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Five golden waves flew at Ratchet.

The lombax rounded a corner before they could hit him.

"!" He skidded to a stop.

Two elite henchmen were aiming Thrasher Cannons at him.

They fired.

BLAM! BLAM!

Ratchet ran left, into a cubical, and avoided having head explode.

He leaned against a desk and panted.

A beat.

SMASH!

A glowing fist went through a piece of wall above Ratchet's head.

The lombax jumped back.

STTTTTTTTSKKKKKKKSSXX!

A glowing brute had removed the top half of the cubical wall.

The other four thugs took aim.

Ratchet heard clicking to his left. He looked.

The other two henchmen aimed their weapons at him.

Ratchet crouched, jumped, and used his Heli-Pack, avoiding--

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

BLAM!

BLAM!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Ratchet grabbed the edge of the wall that was opposite the half-destroyed one and vaulted himself over it.

He landed. He heard. He looked.

The last two thugs that attacked him had come around the corner and were aiming their Thrasher Cannons.

B-BLAM!

Ratchet jumped both shots, went over a wall and landed on a desk.

He quickly headed to the West side.

He was about to jump over a wall--

_**SMASH!**_

The brute had come through the wall.

CLUTCH!

He grabbed Ratchet's ankle and threw him towards the other thugs.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!

One of them fired.

Ratchet landed in time to block the shots.

C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CLANG!

From his left…

FLASH!

A wave of yellow.

The lombax quickly deflected with his wrench--CLOOONG!--and Charge Booted to his right, dodging a downward fist from the brute behind him.

SMASH!

FWOOOOOOSH!

Ratchet blurred.

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The seven thugs blurred after him.

The brute fired a bomb from his Mini-Nuke.

Ratchet stopped and turned right.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The bomb missed.

Ratchet panted.

He heard footsteps.

He looked left.

Two of the henchmen where already at the end of the 'block'. Somehow they managed to get there in less than two seconds.

Ratchet ran into the doorway in front of him and fired a charged shot from his Megarocket Cannon.

**_FWOOOOOOOM-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SMASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Several walls had new holes in them.

**FWOOOOOOSH**!.!.!.!

Ratchet Charge Booted.

While zooming, the lombax looked right.

Two elite henchmen were blurring at his speed, glowing yellow. They kept their glowing yellow eyes in his.

Ratchet looked left.

Another two elite henchmen were blurring alongside him in a similar fashion.

Ratchet looked behind him.

An elite henchman, a normal henchman, and a brute were coming at him.

"I'm beginning to think these aren't normal thugs," Ratchet said as he zoomed.

"I'll do a scan," Clank said.

"Right now?"

"Is there a better time?"

"Yeah, you should--"

**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Ratchet crashed into something. It wasn't a wall; it was a second class brute. Beside him where two purple henchmen.

All amounting to ten thugs.

Ratchet almost whimpered.

His ears perked as he heard the sound of an advancing thug behind him.

Ratchet circled the brute, avoiding accurate shots, ran into a cubical and jumped from wall to wall.

The thug that was chasing Ratchet didn't stop.

The brute cupped his hands in front to him.

The henchman jumped, landed in reptilian hands, was given a boost, and fired at the visible lombax while the others ran alongside him.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet stopped traveling, stood in the middle of a small office, and spun his wrench over him.

C-C-C-C-C-C-C--C-C-C-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-KLANG!

Plant!

The thug landed in front of Ratchet, blocking the irrelevant exit.

"HIYYYYAGH!" Ratchet swung his wrench sideways.

CLIIIIGG!

The thug blocked with his Heavy Lancer. He reached a glowing hand out and shot a wave.

FLASH!

Ratchet ducked. He swung his foot low.

The thug jumped and landed safely.

Ratchet swiped at his head.

The snivlakean performed a limbo.

THWAM!

He high-kicked Ratchet in the chin.

Ratchet stumbled back.

He looked up just for the Hell of it. His eyes bulged.

Two thugs were keeping their balance on the wall. The same on either side. Ratchet looked up and realized that he was being aimed at from all angles. Seven thugs on the walls, on in the middle and…..where were the brutes?

Ratchet had no choice but to equip his Plasma Storm.

He fired up.

FWOOOOM!

All the thugs back-flipped, giving Ratchet the time to zoom away via Charge Boots.

He dropped mine after mine behind him. He could hear the found of explosions.

Suddenly--

WHA_AAAM!.!.!.!_

A fist came out of nowhere and rammed into Ratchet's face.

The lombax flew left, was caught by another pair of arms and thrown further towards the West side of the room.

A leg shot from a corner to his right.

THWAP!

Ratchet crashed into it.

He groaned and looked up.

Two more elite thugs were aiming Thrasher Cannons at him.

Ratchet sweatdropped. "That's twelve now, right?"

He jumped before--

BLAM!.!.!.!

A brute came from the right, his hand glowing. The other two henchmen aimed in a similar fashion.

FLASH!

Ratchet fastened his fall to dodge the yellow blast.

FLASH!

He landed and side-rolled.

FLASH!

He back-flipped.

CLUTCH!

Ratchet gasped.

A brute had snuck up on him from behind and had both his ankles on one handful.

He spun the lombax over his head and chucked him at the henchmen.

Ratchet held his wrench out.

CLANK!

Wrench met Thrasher Cannon.

Right now, the thug stood in a nimble squat, holding his gun up in a vertical position. Ratchet was literally doing a 'wrench-stand' on that gun.

The thug pushed him off gently.

Ratchet landed on his feet.

CL-CL-CL-CLICK! CLAKK! CLIICK!

He looked behind him.

Eight thugs were all aiming at him.

Ratchet looked in front of him.

The brutes had taken out Mini-Nikes, while the last two henchmen aimed their Thrasher Cannons.

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

The thugs didn't fire; they were waiting.

"Still doing that scan?" Ratchet asked his robot friend.

"Yes. I'm almost done," Clank said.

"Can you tell me where we are?"

"We are almost at the center of the cubical area. To get to the elevator, we must travel to your right and pass by three blocks."

Ratchet had no problem with the thugs hearing what Clank said.

"Alright."

He equipped his Mini-Nuke in one hand and his Nitro Launcher in the other.

He fired in front of and behind him.

The thugs fanned out.

BOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOM!

Ratchet equipped his Walloper and--

_**BAM!**_

Punched through a thin wall.

He repeated the process, dropping Glove of Doom agents behind him.

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

_**BAM!**_

There it was! Or there they where.

Three elevators where at the North wall, as Clank said.

Ratchet ran to the middle button and madly pressed the call button.

He sweated bullets and looked behind him.

He could see a streak of hot yellow coming at him.

Ratchet looked at the numbers.

One floor above him.

He desperately threw several mines behind him.

The elevator doors opened.

Ratchet rushed in.

He pressed the button for the top floor.

The doors began to close.

A Thigs-4-Less henchman had ignored the mines and was running at the elevator in a burst of golden.

Ratchet prayed.

SWOOOOSH-WHUMP!

Unfortunately, the thug managed to get inside without having his feet cut off.

"…..," Ratchet glared at the thug.

"……," the thug glared at Ratchet.

They stood on opposite sides of the claustrophobic elevator.

And the glowing thug smirked.

"How's it goin', Ratchet?"

"……," Ratchet was silent.

"We thought youz was never gonna come back."

"….."

"After ya killed our beloved Leader."

"……."

"Youz know what? He lived."

Ratchet's lips parted.

"He surviv'd the explosion with an ejector seat," the glowing thug explained. 'E was stranded on a desert island afta' that. The brain tumor 'e 'ad screwed him over and he needed help when 'e was found."

"……"

"He's changed lots though. No longer da happy thug we all knew."

"….."

"I we received word from a surviving thug that the ship on Grelbin went down. Youz didn't kill 'im again, did ya?"

"No," Ratchet finally spoke. "I didn't even see him."

"Like the improvements?"

Ratchet knew what the 'improvements' were.

"What are they?"

"Special chemical we've developed. 'Llows the user to go super fast 'n throw yellow waves."

"Ah."

The thug's smirk disappeared. He lunged his fist forward.

Ratchet barely caught it. He swung his foot at the thug's shin.

The thug blocked with his gun.

TOING!

He head-butted Ratchet in the forehead.

Ratchet teetered back.

The thug pulled his fist and, thrust the barrel of his Heavy Lancer at Ratchet's skull.

Ratchet caught the barrel and--with the momentum--aimed it left.

The thug kicked at Ratchet's groin.

The lombax jumped and stood on the thug's shoulders for a second.

The thug aimed up with his weapon and fired.

RAT-A-TAT!

C-CL-CLANG! The bullets bounced off the ceiling, making holes.

Ratchet had jumped off the shoulder and landed behind his opponent.

He noticed that the shooting had created a hole, big enough for him to fit through.

The thug back-kicked.

WHAP!

Ratchet was hit in the chest by a bare, purple foot.

He swiped his wrench downward.

The thug turned around and caught it before his head could be sliced in two. He levered himself around the wrench and--

THWAP!

--sprung his foot into Ratchet's side.

The lombax stopped his movement by placing his hand on the wall, pushed and sent a fist at the snivlakean's face.

The thug ducked.

Ratchet went passed him, placed both palms on the wall opposite the one he was on before, and back-kicked.

WHAM!

The thug was hit across the cheek.

"Clank, Heli-Pack now!" Ratchet yelled.

"Got it."

Ratchet stood in the middle of the elevator, jumped and, with help from Clank, managed to grab the edge of the circular opening. He hoisted himself up and looked around the shaft.

He was on the middle elevator, which was making a slow ascend. The other two elevators were following closely behind.

Ratchet contemplated jumping on another one.

And jump he did.

He ran to the edge and--with a stretch-jump--managed to make it on another elevator car.

Suddenly--

JERK!

The elevator Ratchet was on stopped.

So did the one he was on earlier.

The same for the other one.

"Ratchet, I have finished scanning," Clank said.

"And…?"

"The thug was right," Clank explained. "Some sort of chemical has been developed that allows whoever comes in contact with it…..to posses heightened reflexes, speed, and the ability to shoot yellow waves of concentrated energy from their person."

"What's the weakness?"

"The power is due to run out."

"When?"

"For that, I'm uncertain."

Ratchet sighed--

SMASH!

A green hand burst through the elevator's roof a few inches from Ratchet's foot.

The lombax jumped.

S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SMASH!

Other hands burst through the roofs of, not only the elevator car Ratchet was on, but the other two as well.

Ratchet grew pale.

He equipped his Gravity Boots and ended up walking on the shaft's wall.

He equipped his Vaporizer, aimed at the rope of the elevator he was on, and fire.

_**BANG!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The rope snapped and the elevator fell into the darkness below it.

Ratchet smiled.

FLASH!

A wave of yellow flew and singed the wall 'below' Ratchet's feet.

Ratchet looked 'up'.

Five thugs stood on the other two elevator cars.

Ratchet frowned, equipped Multi-Star and fired.

TW-TW-TW-TW-TW-TW-TW-TWISH!

Some went at the thugs, who--

C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-CLANK!

Deflected them with their guns.

Two purple projectiles were lucky and manage to--

SNAP! SNAP!

--cut through the necessary ropes.

The five thugs jumped and, amazingly, started kicking off the shaft's walls.

Ratchet walked upwards backwards, firing Multi-Disk Gun shots.

All the glowing thugs managed not to get hurt by either deflecting with their guns, shooting the projectiles with their guns, avoiding them by jumping from wall to wall, shooting them with a yellow wave, and/or batting them away with their own hands.

Ratchet sweated bullets and he backed up more.

"Ratchet, I can see the top floor," Clank said.

"Good."

Ratchet looked behind him and saw that the top floor of the shaft was getting closer.

**PHWOOOOOOM!**

He fired a shot from his Decimator.

BOOOOM!

The missile exploded into tiny, irrelevant missiles and destroyed the door.

Ratchet aimed behind him and shot a few blind rounds with the same weapon.

He heard no cries of pain of anguish.

He found the doorway and jammed 'down'. Gravity resumed to normal and the lombax made a run for at after--

FWOOOOM!

--shooting a single shot from his Plasma Storm.

He could hear the sound of zaps, but didn't bother to look.

He just sprinted. He and Clank where in a hallway that showed doors on the left and space via windows on the right. This ship wasn't entirely different from the other ships.

He decided it would be better if he used his Charge Boots.

"We are on the same floor as the control room," Clank said.

"Do you know the way?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes. Stop."

Ratchet stopped.

"Open that door."

Ratchet equipped his Bomb Glove and hurled an explosive.

BOOM!

The door was shattered.

Ratchet ran through, used his glove to destroy a second door--as instructed by Clank--and walked into another hallway.

"I'm getting sick of these--"

BLAM!

Ratchet was cut off as a Thrasher Cannon that was aimed at him went off.

The lombax dove forward and flattened himself against a wall.

He looked to his left and saw a henchman reloading his Thrasher Cannon. Like the others, this thug was outlined by a yellow aura.

"I'm guessing I have to go that way," Ratchet said as he pointed behind the thug.

"Uh…..yes," Clank said.

Ratchet ran towards the thug.

FLASH!

Instead of using his gun, the thug fired a wave of yellow.

Ratchet twirled his wrench and deflected.

CLIING!

BLAM!

The thug fired this time.

Ratchet side-stepped the blast.

WHOOOOSH!

The thug blurred at him.

Ratchet raised his wrench.

The thug raised his weapon.

CL**-CLANG!**

Both locked weapons and applied weight on one other.

They could smell one another's breath.

The glowing thug smirked like the previous one.

"Nothin' withou' weapons, eh?"

Ratchet barred his teeth.

The thug grinned.

_**THWAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! THWAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Two pairs of eyes bulged.

Two pairs of eyes watered.

Two people went cross-eyed.

Two people clutched their nether regions.

Both Ratchet and the thug fell over after kicking each other in the crotch.

The thug's yellow glow disappeared momentarily as he muttered several different curse words.

Ratchet fell on his side.

"Ratchet, what happened?" Clank asked.

"I'll….be…..fine," Ratchet wheezed.

The lombax fought to stand up. He leaned against a wall and slowly walked away. He saw that thug was still convulsing.

Ratchet yelped now and then and moved.

"I'm receiving a call from the Phoenix," Clank said.

"I'm listening," ratchet strained to say.

A small visual display unit emerged from a compartment in Clank's chest, grew in size, and hovered in front of Ratchet. It revealed a tyhrranoid. Slim.

"_Hey, Ratchet," _Slim greeted. _"Sasha wants to know what's taking so long."_

Ratchet tried to sound as calm as he could. "We've encountered super thugs."

Slim looked curious. _"What do ya mean?"_

"They're really fast, they're smart, glowing yellow, they can shoot yellow blasts…they're a tough challenge."

Slim looked afraid.

Ratchet went on as he walked and the monitor hovered in front of him. "Clank said that they're using some sort of chemical that heightens their--"

"_I know," _Slim interrupted. He sighed. _"On the last ship, I fought the thug Leader."_

Ratchet's lips parted….more than they already were.

"_He used a special chemical. Said he extracted the power from Experiment 3."_

Ratchet was about to speak in a hopeful tone, when Slim cut him off.

"_Don't believe that. He was probably lying. Anyways, he's dead now."_

Ratchet's eyes widened. "You killed him?"

"_No….he sorta fell off the ship by accident," _Slim half-lied.

"I see."

"_Back to the topic at hand. The ship has finished collecting raritanium and will reach Heinous' base in five minutes!"_

"We are almost at the control room," Clank announced.

"_Then, hurry and be careful. Slim out."_

The image disappeared and the hovering display unit went into Clank's compartment.

"Turn left," the robot said.

Ratchet turned left, destroyed another door via Bomb Glove and stopped.

They where in a massive control room. A wide console of shiny buttons, levers, and knobs surrounded a large screen. Clank jumped off Ratchet's back, walked towards a button near the door the lombax just destroyed, and pressed it. A second door replaced the old one.

"Let's plant the detonator," the robot said.

"Why do we need the detonator in the control room?" Ratchet asked as he looked at his friend.

"And explosion here will trigger an immense chain reaction," the robot simply replied. He held his hand out. "The detonator please."

Ratchet selected what was asked and an explosive materialized in his left hand. He held the bulky device out for Clank to take. The robot held it in both arms. He trotted towards the middle of the console and pressed a few buttons.

"I set it to two minutes," Clank said as he walked towards his partner.

"That's not enough time!" Ratchet exclaimed.

Clank remained calmed. "There is another exit."

Ratchet blinked. "Where?"

"Follow me."

The two walked over towards a door. It swished open…..revealing a hallway with a translucent, green wall, blocking the entrance to space.

"Can we pass through that?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes," Clank responded, "it is similar to the ones in our galaxy." As they walked, he said, "Call the ship."

Ratchet pressed a button on his glove.

They waited. Ratchet say against a wall while Clank stood near the opposite one.

A beat.

"Couldn't we have come through here instead of going through all that pointless fighting?" Ratchet asked.

Clank nodded.

"Why didn't we?"

The robot shrugged. "Sasha must have forgotten to tell us about it, or she didn't even know."

Ratchet groaned; he was still hurting.

A few seconds later, a red ship came through the shield. There was enough room for its wings.

"The shield must have worn off," Clank said.

"Let's go," Ratchet said.

He walked up to the ship. The cockpit's lid opened. Ratchet jumped in, followed by Clank. The lid closed and the jets glowed.

Soon, the ship backed up. When it was far enough, it turned away and headed for the Phoenix.

Meanwhile…

Back at the control room…

Two thugs traversed the large place.

They weren't glowing yellow though.

They had confident smiles plastered across their faces.

One thug saw the detonator. He went to it, picked it up, pulled out a screwdriver, opened its back, and cut a wire via claws.

"'Ave the other thugs survived?" the thug who deactivated the explosive asked his comrade.

"Yup," the other one replied. "The elevator fall was nothin' thanks to the special chemical."

The other one just smiled.

* * *

"_Don't worry, Sasha," _Ratchet's image on a big screen said_, "we've planted the detonator. It should explode in about twenty seconds."_

"Great work," Sasha said with a soft smile. "Return to the Phoenix at once."

Ratchet nodded. _"Copy that. Over and out."_

The screen switched to a view of the ship that was about to explode.

Sasha and Slim were the only organic ones there; all the others had on to sleep. Three rangers were the only ones present.

Sasha waited.

Slim waited.

And………………..nothing happened. The ship kept its course and eventually went out of sight.

"What the…," Sasha was at a loss of words.

* * *

A few minutes later… 

Heinous waited as he stood in front of the Compound Reactor. The amount of raritanium was still being counted.

Thirty--not glowing--thugs waited behind him. They shifted impatiently.

Albert stood by his master's side.

Sandy and Raxamis weren't there; one of them was sick with some unknown illness, and the other was writing fanfics.

The work of the constructobots was no more, because everything that needed to be built was built.

All ten troopers stood in a line just like the thugs. Their faceless heads reflected any light that touched them.

All ten robo roosters waited silently.

The final result came.

'POWER AT 100 PERCENT'.

"**_YES!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" _**Heinous bellowed loudly, startling Albert and some thugs. "We have enough power! Robo roosters, set a course for Solana!.!.!.! We're LEAVING!.!.!.!.!.!.!"


	40. We're leaving Bogon

**Chapter Forty: We're leaving Bogon**

"Sasha, listen. Clank and I left the bomb in the control room, just like you said," Ratchet took another breath. "We have no idea how the ship didn't explode."

"That's still not a good excuse," Sasha glared at him from her seat. "Heinous has enough power for his 'weapon', and he's gonna go back to Solana and start attacking. Or even worse….he'll attack Bogon!"

"He doesn't want Bogon," Ratchet said calmly.

"That's not the point!" Sasha fumed. He calmed down a little, rubbing her temples. "That will be all."

"Huh?"

Sasha tried to hide a yawn. "I'm gonna say my goodbyes to Angela, and then, we go back to Solana."

Ratchet signed sadly.

Followed by the silent Clank, the lombax left the Bridge.

"It's not our fault," Clank said as they stepped into the transporter.

"Yeah…..," Ratchet said sleepily, "……I know."

* * *

"And…..here's the last piece," Heinous said as he gave a Thugs-4-Less brute a back of bolts. 

The thug smiled at the robot. "T'was a pleasure doin' business with ya."

"The pleasure was all mine," Heinous said. "You're all dismissed. I'll be leaving now."

The thug nodded and headed for his ship. While walking, he gave an 'Okay' sign to his comrades. They nodded and jumped into their ships.

The giant collector ship was in the middle of passing through the force field. It was now empty of all raritanium.

"Come on, Albert."

"What about Sandy and Raxamis, sir?" the blarg asked.

"Yeah, get them, will ya? Raxamis is in his room….and Sandy's in my room."

The butler nodded.

Heinous sighed as he remembered a certain last experiment he created.

"……………………………………………………………"

* * *

"_Really?" _

"Yes," Sasha nodded groggily at Angela's face, which was on a small holo-vid, "Heinous has enough raritanium and--" yawn "--will most likely return to the Solana galaxy."

"_That's too bad."_

Sasha only yawned.

Angela noticed. _"You should get some sleep."_

"Nnnnghhh," Sasha strained to stand up straight. He was the only one in the Bridge other than three rangers. "Rangers," she pointed, "get a course for Solana."

"Uh, Captain," a brave ranger uttered nervously, "if we get to Solana in the same time span as we got to Bogon, we'll run out of fuel."

"Then we'll send a dropship….or something--just do it!.!.!.!.!.!" Sasha was cranky.

"**Yes, ma'am!" **the rangers said at once as the scampered to their work stations.

Sasha yawned again.

"_Goodbye, Sasha," _Angela said. _"And good luck."_

"Goodbye," Sasha said. "Thanks for all the help." She fell into Qwark's chair and was out like a light.

* * *

"I here we're gonna go back to Solana," Nefarious said as he pressed buttons on the game controller he was holding. He shifted from position to position on the left sofa. 

"Really?" Courtney asked. She sat a few feet away from Nefarious to give him some elbow room.

"Yeah. Apparently, Ratchet didn't manage to stop Jeremy, so we're going back to Solana. It's like Ping-Pong if you think of it."

Courtney nodded absentmindedly. She then said, "Why didn't you go with Ratchet? Heinous is your stepbrother, after all."

"Two reasons. One: There was a high chance that Jeremy wasn't on that ship. Two: There wasn't enough room in Ratchet's ship."

"Do you think you'll change you mind?"

"……………………………………….Maybe."

And that was when Lawrence entered the room.

"Sir, some people are asking you to turn the noise down; they need their sleep."

"Those squishies can rot in Hell for all I care!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

Courtney sighed, know full well that Nefarious hated his time being interrupted.

* * *

The four rocket 'mouths' all faced the same direction. They ignited, causing the base to move… 

_**PSHHHOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

…towards Solana.

* * *

The Starship Phoenix was busting with robotic activity. The rangers were powering the ship's thrusters up. All organic life-forms on the ship--including Sasha--were asleep. 

Finally, the ship went into hyperspace.

**_PHHHHSSSSHHHHHHHHHWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!.!.!.!..!.!.!.!_**

**_

* * *

_**This chapter wasn't much, I know. The next one will be a bit like Chapter Twenty-Nine, but with more humor and characters. 


	41. Only a day away Part 1

**Chapter Forty-one: Only a day away Part 1**

"Nefarious, you've been playing for two days straight," Ratchet said from the right sofa. "Give the VG a break."

"What if I don't want to?" Nefarious shot back without looking.

"Then….I'll unplug it!" Ratchet exclaimed as he stood up.

Nefarious paused. He set the controller down, walked, and stood threateningly over Ratchet. "You wouldn't dare," he said in a loud whisper.

"Wouldn't I?" Ratchet was fingering his storage watch.

They were standing in a similar position to the one Nefarious and Courtney were in.

"Boys, calm down," Courtney said as she stepped between them, creating a distance between the lombax and robot. Her back was on Ratchet, meaning…

"Nefarious," she said calmly, keeping eye contact, "wouldn't be better if you played against Ratchet?" she kept one hand on him as she made circles around the blue scientist. "If Ratchet wins, you stop," she purred, "but if you win….," she stopped in front of him, "……you can play all you want."

"Okay," Nefarious said. If he was still organic, he'd have been sweating.

Lawrence and Clank--who were watching the whole thing--exchanged impressed 'expressions'.

Ratchet smirked, but kept his opinions to himself.

"The game is Mallet and Clonk 3," Nefarious announced.

"Bring it on," Ratchet palmed his fist.

* * *

"I'm worried, Albert," Heinous said. "What if it gets worse?" 

Sandy hacked and coughed as she sat on Heinous' bed.

"She won't even tell me what's wrong."

"Maybe…," Raxamis rubbed his chin, "…..there was this top secret experiment going on; an experiment that causes robots to get sick once they go on an enlargen machine and grow big. So, this virus slash experiment goes inside a robot and screw it over 'till it's taken over and used to turn entire galaxies into CHEESE!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous stared.

Albert stared.

Sandy stared.

Raxamis rubbed the back of his head. "It could be true."

* * *

Slim walked down a hall on the lower deck of the Phoenix. He wasn't the only one present; a few clerks and scientists walked to and fro, some of them trying to come up with a solution for the lack of power. 

Slim was about to turn a corner, when--

"Hey, Jack!"

Slim halted. He was used to being called 'Jack'. He turned around and found himself looking at Bob.

The janitor removed his headphones and rested them around his neck. "Remember me?" he asked the tyhrranoid as he held a red hand out to shake.

Slim blinked.

"We had a rumble in the temperature control room, I think. I remember some of what happened when I was mind-controlled."

"Ah, yes, I remember now," Slim said as his white hand shook Bob's red one.

"Quite a fighter, you are," Bob pointed an old hand at the blue-eyed one.

"Same to you," Slim allowed himself to smile.

"Oh, no," Bob seemed modest, "these old bones ain't what they used to be."

"I beg to differ," Slim said. "You almost impaled me with a toilet brush."

"Heh heh," the old man chuckled. "I guess I still got some of the old magic. Learned all that stuff in the war, but where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Slim thought for a second. "I was born with them."

"That explains it," Bob said. "No offence, but you are a tyhrranoid, after all."

"None taken."

* * *

"…and that's the plan," Sasha felt thirsty after telling a plan. "And questions?" 

She had been talking with several Phoenix staff; technicians, scientists, engineers, and rangers. As anyone would expect, this was in the Bridge. Sasha stood at Qwark's chair, the costumed man himself behind her. Al and Skidd were also part of the listening crowd, one listening, and the other trying not to fall asleep.

No one answered.

"Good," Sasha said. "Now….get back to work."

There was a small childish groan that came from Skidd, who was elbowed by Al. Soon, a few rangers where left.

Then…

Sasha felt a tap on her shoulder. Sash turned around and had to look up in order to give Qwark eye-contact.

The superhero seemed nervous. "Uhhhhh….what _is_ my job, exactly?"

Sasha sweatdropped.

* * *

Sandy coughed and hacked as usual. This time, she was ignored. The other three robots stood at Heinous' desk, discussing. 

"I say we attack Florana first," Raxamis said as he leaned against the right side. "It's got the most amount of organic life in Solana."

"I say we attack Kerwan," Heinous said as he sat in his chair. "Metropolis, to be more precise. I'd like Vince to know that I beat him in taking over the one place in the galaxy he couldn't take over. After that, we'll attack Blackwater City on Planet Rilgar."

"I say Florana!"

"Well, I say Kerwan!"

"Umm, fellas…….," Albert looked back at Sandy.

"What?" Raxamis asked; Heinous just looked.

"Sandy seems to be worse than usual."

"I hate to say it, but we should just ignore her for now," Heinous said coolly. "We're so close to galactic domination."

Sandy hacked and coughed and--

**SPLORCH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

--threw up.

The others looked.

Sandy was much better. She stood on the bed, eyeing the item she threw up curiously.

Raxamis stopped leaning against the desk.

Heinous stood from his chair.

Albert was already waiting for them.

They made a circle around it.

It was a purple material of some sort, wrapped in a creased ball.

"Funny, I didn't know Sandy could vomit," Heinous said.

"I don't think it's vomit, sir," Albert thought aloud. "But it was definitely the cause of all her hacking and coughing."

"What is it then?"

"……"

"…."

"….."

"…."

Everyone was silent.

Raxamis gasped happily. "My cape!.!.!.!.!"

Everyone else looked at him in confusion as he picked the purple fabric up and unfolded it.

"I must have left it in Sandy when where on Lunar City and the protopet was gonna shrink her," he covered his back with it.

"Oh, Hell on," Heinous said. "You mean to tell me that all her suffering was because of your stupid CAPE?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"

"Exactly," Raxamis said.

Albert slapped his own face with his palm and muttered the word 'stupid' silently.

Heinous was ready to rip his antennas off.

Raxamis--now caped--walked over to Heinous' bed. Sandy was still standing there, staring at him.

"No hard feelings?"

"……"

"……"

"….."

"….?"

WOMP!

Sandy had jumped and enveloped Raxamis' head in her mouth.

"AAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.! NOT AGAIN!.!.!.!.!"

* * *

In her bedroom, Sasha sat on her bed, cross-legged as she typed on a personal laptop. Her fingers were used to such tasks and blured as she pressed different keys. If she misspelled something, she'd correct her mistake without even looking or using the mouse. When she was done, she used a small mouse against the made bed sheets and clicked an icon. 

"……"

One second passed.

She sighed and switched the lap off.

* * *

Mmhmm. This one was short too. The next chapter might be short as well. Hang in there! This story's gonna get better. 


	42. Only a day away Part 2

**Chapter Forty-two: Only a day away Part 2**

The Presidential Palace.

11:22 am.

Flanked by one ranger, the president of Solana walked into his large office.

He had bags under his eyes from several sleepless nights.

When in the centre of the large office, he gave a wave to the ranger.

Although the president's back was on it, the ranger saluted and silently and left the room. The door closed behind the green robot with a swish.

The president sighed.

He walked to the window behind his desk.

He was given a beautiful view of the galaxy's Capital City.

It was perfect. A paradise devoid of all crime and poverty. Several years of toiling have turned this City into a high-class place to live.

But it didn't seem enough for the cazar who ran it.

Slowly, the president sat down in his chair and switched the computer on his desk on.

It started up in less than ten seconds.

The president of the Solana Galaxy logged into his email account and looked.

He stopped.

There was one message.

From his daughter.

He clicked.

He waited.

He looked.

He read.

…

…

…

…

Silence.

…

…

…

…

The president finished reading.

He made a decision.

Then, slowly moving his mouse, the president clicked an icon.

And the message was deleted.

* * *

The Starship Phoenix. 

11:24 am.

Ratchet and Nefarious played a game on the VG9000 with extreme concentration.

Gloved and clawed thumbs button-bashed.

Their elbows where all over the place.

Courtney sat by Nefarious' side, watching carefully.

Clank sat by Ratchet's side. Silently.

Lawrence stood behind Nefarious and Courtney, his arms smartly behind his back.

Ratchet sweat.

In Nefarious' head, the satellite dish spun fast, the pump moved up and down in a blur, and the gear turned dangerously quick.

Courtney was at the edge of her seat. Her legs were no longer crossed femininely.

And then, it happened.

Ratchet had won.

Nefarious froze.

The lombax stood up, stretched his back, and let out a victorious shout.

Nefarious growled and was about to stand up, when a dainty, robotic hand touched his shoulder.

He stopped and looked at Courtney.

The ex-pop star looked back and said something.

Nefarious nodded and allowed Ratchet to continue with his chant.

* * *

11:35 am. 

Slim sat at a large table in the cafeteria.

Bob sat next to him.

The janitor had introduced the tyhrranoid to his cleaning comrades.

Laughs, smiled, and comments were exchanged.

At one point, Slim said something.

The others listened.

Slim continued.

The edges of the cleaning staffs' lips curved.

Slim finished what he was saying.

Some chocked on the food they were eating from laughing.

Others hugged themselves as they hollered in amusement.

Another spewed a drink out from his nose.

Slim smirked.

He received pats on the shoulder and complements for the joke he said.

And he was happy.

* * *

Heinous' base. 

12:18 am

Heinous was once again in the big room.

He used stolen tool after stolen tool on the weapon.

He was helped by about thirty constructobots.

Albert stood three stories below.

He nodded at everything Heinous said.

At one point, the scientist thought of a name.

He said it to Albert.

The butler cocked an eyebrow, but complied.

And Heinous continued working for the last time.

* * *

2:29 pm 

Raxamis clicked the mouse.

He sighed as the last chapter to his fanfic was published.

He immediately logged off.

Then, he paused.

He smiled.

He had an idea.

He ran to the bedside table and pulled out several A-4 papers and a small case of pencil colours.

He set everything on the floor, including himself.

His left arm supporting his head, his right arm drawing, his front on the floor--not damaging the crystal--and his legs bent in the air…………

……….Raxamis sketched silently.

* * *

The Starship Phoenix. 

3:00 pm

Skidd searched through his closet.

He tossed several shirts and trousers over his head, forgetting them.

He searched and searched.

And he found it.

A T-shirt.

With an autograph of Courtney Gears.

The green man hugged the article of clothing to his chest and chanted several chants of being rich.

* * *

3:04 pm 

Qwark and Skrunch went head to head in the VR world.

Nothing dangerous; just a new feature Al had installed.

The technician was in the VR deck, monitoring for any signs of malfunction.

Helga was also inside the VR level, cheering both the costumed man and the monkey on.

* * *

Lunar City. 

3:15 pm.

The last remains of the protopet were tossed into a truck.

Angela watched silently.

Mr. Fizzwidget had announced that a new protopet was going to be created.

The lombax took a deep breath.

She was called by a robot.

Angela nodded and walked inside a ship.

* * *

Capital City. 

4:00 pm

The president gave a press conference.

Every top-ranking alien from every planet was there. They had arrived immediately after they received the calling message from the president.

The cazar spoke in seven different microphones.

About what to do when Dr. Heinous returns.

Questions were asked and some were translated.

The president answered every one.

He spoke about preparations.

Darla Gratch was also there, along with sixteen other new reporters.

There where several flashes from cameras.

The entire conference was recorded across the galaxy in several different languages.

* * *

Heinous' base. 

4:10 pm

Raxamis had called Heinous, Albert and Sandy to his room.

The three robots waited for the overly enthusiastic fanboy to finish the introductions.

Finally, Raxamis whipped out a paper from behind him comically.

The others looked.

It was a picture of all four of them. They were striking a pose at a street corner. The detail was very good as was the colouring. Above there, where three words, written in a combination of grey, green, black, and purple, saying 'THE FEARSOME FOUR!'.

Sandy said something.

Heinous translated.

Raxamis grinned and gloated.

Albert said something.

And everyone else laughed.

* * *

Gadgetron HQ. 

4:13 pm

Mr. Krinkle typed on a computer.

At one point, he reached a hand out, grabbed a glass of water and drank it all in one gulp.

He resumed typing and email, about how he'd agree to donate several weapons.

* * *

Laboratory on Marcadia. 

5:02 pm

Ed, Will and Jane worked on the finishing touches on their project.

Ed said something.

The other two nodded.

Will spoke.

The others listened.

Will finished what he was saying.

Ed and Jane chuckled lightly.

They were working on a robot.

A familiar-looking robot.

A doppelganger.

An evil one.

* * *

11:44 pm 

Everyone organic was tucked away.

Heinous, Albert, Raxamis, and Sandy were in sleep mode.

The same could be said for Clank, Lawrence, and Courtney. They were in the game room, recharging.

All Phoenix personnel slumbered.

The only one awake was Nefarious.

He wasn't playing.

He wasn't working out.

He stood at a window of the room he was given.

His left arm rested on the frame.

He stared at space, thinking about his stepbrother.

How they could have been like a normal family.

He sighed.

* * *

All in all, everyone knew the same thing. 

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Solana was only a day away.


	43. Weapon

**Chapter Forty-three: Weapon**

The room was quiet.

Nothing stirred. Nothing at all.

The computer was off.

The windows kept the room safe from s the vacuum of space.

The steel door wasn't knocked on.

The sand shark that slept in her basket kept recharging via wires that came from the wall.

In the bed next to her, a robot 'slept'.

Like the sand shark, it was connected to the wall by the use of wires.

And its lids slid up revealing glowing yellow eyes.

"……………………………………………………………………………," and Dr. Heinous smiled.

* * *

The Bridge. 

"It's good that all of you came," Sasha spoke to every Phoenix member who could fight.

"Yeah, at five in the morning!" Qwark cackled, suppressing a yawn.

"This is serious, Qwark," Sasha said calmly. "Heinous has enough power to attack the galaxy. So I need you on your toes."

"Yeah, Qwark," Nefarious said. "Get up and be a hero for once!"

"Excuse me," Qwark closed the distance between him and the robot, "who's the one who kicked you butt several years ago?"

"Only to get conked over the head with a mallet," Nefarious grinned.

Qwark bared his teeth. "Why, you--!"

"Hey!"

They both looked.

Sasha glared at them from her trademark chair. "We don't have time for this! Heinous could attack any second! And with the lack of fuel we have, we've gotta get to Marcadia as soon as possible while we send dropships to Heinous' base."

Nefarious and Qwark remained silent.

"Al is busy trying to find Heinous' location. That madman robot has put inputted a program that prevents his base from being tracked. When that's done, we'll give the coordinates and you'll infiltrate the base and stop Heinous. Here, the Phoenix will go the Marcadia--people already know we're back--and get some fuel and reinforcements."

"Who'll be infiltrating the base?" Clank asked.

"Ratchet, you, Qwark, Skrunch, Nefarious, and Jack," Sasha said without thinking.

"What about me?"

"**?.?.?.?.?.?" **Everyone looked at the location of Skidd's seat.

Courtney leaned against the computer console. She had her arms folded across her chest. She smirked her robotic pearly whites.

"You can fight?" Sasha asked.

"Mmmmmmmm-hmmm-hmmm-hmmm," a womanly chuckle. "Yes."

"**And how,"** Qwark and Ratchet said in unison.

"Eeeehhheeee," Skrunch mimicked the tone and syllables from Qwark's left shoulder.

Courtney rolled her solid gold eyes.

"Okay then," Sasha said.

"Excuse me," A polite voice uttered.

Everyone looked at Lawrence.

The butler 'cleared his throat'. "If I may……I'd like to accompany the team to the base of Dr. Heinous."

"Are you sure?" Sasha asked.

"It would be the wisest for me to go with Master Nefarious."

"HA! Wisdom," Nefarious smirked. "I thought you well, eh?"

"You put the 'dumb' in 'wisdom', sir."

"I do, don't it?" Nefarious struck a proud pose. He obviously didn't get it.

Everyone decide to keep their opinions to themselves.

"Ahem," Lawrence spoke again. "Is it okay?"

"I guess so," Sasha uttered. "We should check on Al to--"

"No need," Al said as he strolled and stood in front of her.

"What do you mean?" Ratchet inquired.

Al was deadpan. "He's transmitting here."

And at that precise moment, Heinous' image appeared on the giant screen. His room was in the background.

"_Hello, organics of the Solana Galaxy," _the scientist cackled.

"Jeremy!" Nefarious growled. "Tell us where you are so I can kick your--!"

"_The reason I've interrupted all holo-vid signals is to show you the unveiling of my weapon. I'm sure that all of you know that I'm Dr. Heinous……the greatest genius Solana has ever seen."_

It was obvious that Heinous was conversing with everyone in Solana.

"_I've realised that it's not good to be organic," _he went on. _"So weak no matter how protective your shell is. I transformed myself--"

* * *

_

"_--and my butler into robots two-weeks-ago."_

Mr. Krinkle shook at the image that appeared on his uncalled for giant holo-vid. He rubbed his balding head and listened.

"_We travelled all across Solana, collecting provisions for the weapon I'll--"

* * *

_

"_--be showing you soon."_

Several viewers of different planets craned their necks to see the small holo-vid.

"Damn, we got us another loony," the barman said.

"I 'ate robots," another said before drinking the rest of the purple liquid in his cup.

"_I'm responsible for all that happened two-weeks-ago. I--"

* * *

_

"_--invaded Gadgetron HQ. I stole the Deplanetizer from Planet Koros and killed all those people while doing it."_

Two fatherless children sobbed after hearing that one. They buried their faces in their widow-of-a-mother's belly.

The mother held them tight.

"_It was none other than **I** who destroyed the--"

* * *

_

"_--base on Planet Daxx."_

"Son of a bitch!"

CLAMP!.!.!.!.!

A red scaled fist slammed on a desk, sending several unsigned checks flying all about.

"Does he know how much money **that cost _ME?.!.?.!.?.!"_** he growled.

A subordinate who stood a few feet away uttered nervously, "Mr. Ranzarto, w-we can always build a……new one."

"Pipe down, Smeeves! Did I tell you to--?.!.?.!.?.!"

"Shhhhhhhh!" a third one uttered. "Listen."

"_I then went to the Bogon Galaxy--"

* * *

_

"_--to find a suitable source for my weapon."_

"Will he stop saying 'weapon'?" Ed growled annoyingly. He sat on a sofa in the break room.

"I think he's doing it to build up suspense," Will uttered before taking a sip from his coffee.

"Mmhmm," Jane hummed.

"We're wasting our time!" Ed cackled. "Shouldn't we be trying to trace the signal or something?.!"

"The president has ordered a group of experts already," Will was calm.

Ed gave a defeated sigh and watched the puny holo-vid.

"_--and successfully managed to acquire enough raritanium! I returned to Solana and--"

* * *

_

"_--here I am," _an evil grin. _"This galaxy will be under my control in a matter of days. First, we'll attack every planet, then every MOON, then EVERY SPACE STATION, AND THEN EVERY BLOODY ESCAPE SHIP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"_

Al typed madly.

"Have you found the signal, Al?" Sasha leaned over his shoulder.

"Wait………..wait………….YES!" Al held his arms up in victory, barely missing Sasha's head. "But it'll take five minutes to track down," he said quickly then.

Sasha sighed for the umpteenth time. "Very well."

"_So…………without further ado," _the image from Heinous' room changed to that of space right outside the base. _"I present to you……"_

A massive door was opening by the lower wall like a garage door.

Something was coming out.

Something big.

Something mechanical.

Something evil.

"……_the one. The only………"_

The weapon came into full view.

And everyone across the galaxy with a holo-vid watched in a mixture of shock, awe, and fear.

"_**THE BIOBLITERATOR II!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

Drek's Deplanetizer drifted into view. From all four sides, where the green buttons would be, stretched mechanical 'limbs', complete with several joints for flexibility. The other ends of the 'limbs' were connected to one magnifying glass each. Each magnifying glass was above the centre of the laser, where a red button used to be. They were stacked on top of each other. Over them was none other than a pink laser, found at the Obani Draco. It was pointing down towards the magnifying glasses. At the pink laser was connected at the butt to a giant cuboid. Although it wasn't as big at the Deplanetizer flat side, the cuboid was still gargantuan. It had a shiny onyx colour. A flexible pipe was connected to the cuboid. The other end was in the base. The whole thing was being carried by about ten tiny ships and was being guarded by about twenty others.

"_Feast your eyes on the galaxy's greatest weapon. Although not as elegant as the Biobliterator used by Dr. Nefarious, the Biobliterator **II **is still more powerful."_

The laser began powering up.

Instead of yellow, an orange bulb lit at the laser's tip.

"_My first victim."_

The camera focussed on a planet.

"That's Planet Aradia!" Courtney yelled.

The laser shock more and--

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

A pure-orange laser shot from the tip towards Planet Aradia.

And Nefarious' rants of how unoriginal the name was were blocked out and/or ignored.

* * *

The grassland was peaceful. 

An animal came out of the grass and ran towards a nearby tree.

It stopped, stood on its hind legs, and sniffed the air.

Its long ears perked up.

The animal made a run for it.

As it did, hundreds of birds flew.

A traveller noticed.

He blinked.

"Scoo'n fetrn lamf boort-o?" he asked himself in his native tongue.

Suddenly--

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--an orange beam flew down and hit the ground several miles away.

The aradian looked in fright.

Silence.

"…….."

From the distance…

_shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!_

The green-eyed one squinted his eyes, ignoring the wildlife running past him.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The sound got louder.

A wind began blowing.

The man gulped.

He could make out an orange line on the horizon and the pillar of orange that came from above.

"………….."

The line got thinker and closer.

**SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

The man sweated.

He grew uneasy.

_**SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

He saw it.

A giant, tall, translucent wall of orange was coming his way.

He gasped.

"Ai, Solonica!" he turned around and ran.

But it was futile.

_**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The wave caught up him in under ten seconds and passed right through him.

And he stopped.

He stood.

He didn't blink.

He looked at the ground.

He did a double-take.

The ground was titanium. Even the grass. The aradian examined his surroundings. Everything was metal. The few animals behind him were metal. The same for vegetation and everything else.

Robots.

The man suddenly felt that………………………..he couldn't feel.

He looked at his arms…

"……..!"

They were titanium.

* * *

The Biobliterator II still had the laser going. 

And from space, one could make out something. From the orange line, a circle with an outline that was the same colour grew and grew………………………turning everything grey. The grey circle grew until Planet Aradia was that colour and that colour only.

All in a span of three minutes.

The laser ceased fire and slowly drifted back through the shield and into the base.

And all that could be heard after that was Heinous' laughter.


	44. Base fight

Ah, Gruntzilla. Haven't read from you in a while. I'm just sayin' this to let you know that everything that has to be said will be said later on. Until then, read.

This chapter is long!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

**Chapter Forty-four: Base fight**

"_Stay tuned, dear viewers…until the next planet is transformed. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"_

And the screen went black.

"Uhhhh," Qwark uttered nervously. "Does anyone here think anyone in Solana actually saw that?"

Everyone looked at him.

"What?"

"Heinous interrupted every program!" Ratchet barked. "What do you think?.!"

"I'm just saying!" Qwark frowned. "It _is _five in the morning!"

"Different planets have different times," Lawrence stated, arms behind his back.

"……"

"……."

"Anyway," Sasha marched over to Al. "Got the coordinates?"

"Yeah," Al confirmed. "Heinous' base is heading on a course to Veldin."

Ratchet growled. He was about to speak--

Nefarious folded his arms annoyingly, "The same for me! I was gonna attack Veldin second! Blood copycat, I swear…"

"Okay," Sasha stated. "Here's the plan."

Everyone listened.

"I'm sending everyone who went on the ship at Grelbin, along with Courtney and Lawrence. Heinous' base has no defences, so you'll be safe."

"Anything else?" Slim asked.

"You'll be on your own after," Sasha's voice lowered a bit. "The Phoenix barely has any fuel left. The rest of us are going to Marcadia. Perhaps, we could get you more help as well."

Nefarious cocked an eyebrow, "As in…….."

"Several rangers."

"Alright," Ratchet palmed a fist. "Let's get loaded."

* * *

"Are the robots ready to guide this ship?" 

"Yes, sir."

"Is the Biobliterator II ready and fully charged?"

"Yes, sir."

"And are the defences inside ready?"

"Ye--…….. Why would you need defences inside?"

The two robots stopped so a constructobot could pass them. The Big Room was busting with the usual robotic activity. Heinous and Albert had been walking through the room for quite some time. Raxamis and Sandy weren't present.

"I'm just taking precautions," Heinous said as they continued walking. "The Q-Force could be travelling here right now. I want everyone to be ready…………….that includes you."

Albert blinked, "Me?"

"Yup. The Fearsome Four have to be ready for anything."

"Please tell me you didn't say 'Fearsome Four'."

"Uh………………………I did say 'Fearsome Four'."

"Does that mean you're going along with Raxamis' name title for us?"

Heinous smiled slightly, "Why not? Instead of having to say all four of our names, all that can be said is 'Fearsome Four'."

"If you say so."

"Heh. I do." A beat. "Constructobot!"

A random robot walked up to the scientist and butler.

"How long till we reach Veldin?"

The robot beeped several morse code signals which were translated by Heinous.

"How long, sir?"

"About half an hour."

* * *

**SHOOOOM!**

Ratchet's ship was the last of three vessels to leave the Phoenix. The moment the ship exited, the main ship used the rest of its fuel to go to Marcadia.

Ratchet inside his helmet. "Well, Clank," he said, his Infernix Armoured hands on the ship's controls, "I'm in tiptop condition, all my weapons are at their maximum ammo, and I just had a relaxing shower. I'm ready for battle!"

"Good," Clank uttered without looking. "This may be the last battle before the defeat of Dr. Heinous. I hope that the others are as ready as you are."

"Sure. Maybe, we'll beat Heinous before they do."

Clank seemed outraged. "Surely, you don't mean you're going to use a dangerous villain in a game of 'who gets there first wins'!"

"It's okay, Clank. Just joking, is all."

"…….."

* * *

"Thanks for all the weapons, Jack," Qwark said without looking. He was riding shotgun in the green shuttle. Funnily enough, Skrunch was driving while standing on a phonebook. 

"No problem," Slim said from behind, "I have a lotta doubles."

"Ahhhh."

A beat.

"Man," Slim half frowned, "we gotta get some girls in the Q-Force."

"There's Helga," Qwark leaned his forearm on the seat as he turned around and faced the tyhrranoid.

Slim glanced once at. "OTHER than Helga."

"Akk ah!"

"He said 'Courtney'."

* * *

She sat rather close to Nefarious on the bench inside the dropship. 

Nefarious was oblivious, due to the fact that he was 'sleeping'.

When Courtney noticed, she huffed uncrossed her legs, re-crossed them the other way, and faced her left.

Lawrence stood smartly by the ranger. At one point, he asked, "Estimated time before arrival?"

"'Bout five minutes," the ranger replied.

"Thank you," Lawrence droned. He noticed Courtney's annoyed state. "Is something the matter, Miss Gears?"

Despite her annoyance, Courtney smirked at him, "There's no need to be formally, you know."

"I'm afraid it's in my programming, Madam."

Courtney shrugged. "If you say so."

* * *

**SWOOOSH! _CRASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! _**

Ratchet's ship crashed through a steel wall. As a result, all items in the room were sucked out by space's vacuum. Ratchet jumped out, equipped with an O2 Mask. He had Clank on his back. The red ship was sucked onto space. Magneboots kept Ratchet safe. As instructed, he went to a console and pressed a button.

WHUUUUUUUUUR-CLIIINK!

A layer of wall slid and replaced the hole.

Ratchet removed his mask and inhaled. Clank jumped off his back.

"The ship is set on autopilot," Ratchet said. "I'll call it if I need to."

"Understood," Clank replied.

"Think the others are here yet?"

"I am unsure. Contact them and see."

Ratchet equipped a communicator. "Qwark, come in. This is--"

* * *

"_--Ratchet. Have you arrived to the base yet?"_

WHUUUUUUUUUR-CLIIINK!

A new layer of wall replaced the smashed one. Slim was the last to walk out of the shuttle. Skrunch stood next to him.

Qwark spoke into the communicator, "Yeah, we just did. Everyone's ready for action. I just spoke to Nefarious. He's here too."

"_Where are you?"_

"Fortieth floor. Same as Nefarious."

"_Clank and I are there too. I have your signal ready. Let's group and then split up."_

"Gotcha. Qwark out."

Qwark pocketed the communicator on an unseen pocket.

"Ooh ah ah?" Skrunch asked.

"I dunno if we'll beat him for sure," Qwark scratched his head. "He's unlike any other villain I've every seen."

"We'll beat him," Slim said. A beat. "_I'll_ beat him."

"Fat chance," Qwark smirked. "You're looking at the greatest superhero who ever lived: CAPTAIN QWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKK!.!.!.!.!"

"The same 'superhero' who literally went bananas," Slim added.

Qwark frowned. "Let's just get to the rendezvous point."

* * *

"_Are you sure it's necessary to stay where we are, sir?"_

"Absolutely, Albert. I want everyone to split up."

"_Where'd you think everyone would go, Uncle?"_

"There's no doubt that Vince will be coming here………… That white tyhrranoid too. As for the others, I have no idea."

"_Rawwwwwwwr rar-o rarrrerrrr?"_

"Then make a run for it. I've sent several ninjas to patrol the hallways. You're not the only ones who'll be fighting."

"_How much longer 'til we get to Veldin?"_

"'Bout twenty minutes now, Raxamis. Just stay cool and remain alert."

"'_Kay."_

"_Rar."_

"_Affirmative."_

"Good. Heinous out."

-blip-

Heinous switched the communicator off. He had traded the walky-talkies for a new kind of device. He had used the new one to have a four-way conversation with the other robots.

The scientist stood in The Big Room once again. He watched constructobots move to and fro preparing for the next attack.

"…………"

His communicator beeped. He answered and listened to the morse code signal.

"…….," he barely frowned. "So……they're here already?"

…………

"Absolutely."

* * *

"'Bout time," Nefarious said as he leaned against a wall. Courtney stood by his side with Lawrence on his other. They where at an 'intersection' of hallways. 

"Whatevah," Slim said as he stopped his walk. The others came from behind him.

"Okay," Qwark said. "Who's going where?"

"I am detecting robotic signals coming from all around the forty-story base," Clank said. "But there are four concentrated signals coming from different areas."

"Where?" Ratchet asked.

"One on the thirty-fifth, one on the twenty-first, one on the thirty-fourth, and one on the bottom."

"Right," Ratchet nodded. "Clank--"

"Skrunch and I will scope out the thirty-fifth floor," Qwark interrupted, raising a finger for no reason. "It's closer."

"Okay," Ratchet said. "Then, Clank and I go--"

"I'll take the thirty-fourth floor," Courtney said as she leaned one hand on her hip. She looked in Nefarious' direction, "Anyone wanna come with?"

Ratchet's was about to speak--

"Actually, I'm gonna go the bottom floor," Nefarious said as he stood up straight.

Courtney half frowned.

"I'm goin' with him," Slim jabbed a white thumb at the robot. "For the Hell of it."

Ratchet finally spoke, "Then Clank and I will be going to the twenty-first floor."

"Okay, I have detected elevators in ten different directions," Clank said. "We should split up and defeat Dr. Heinous."

"And, if possible, find a way to destroy this base," Slim said.

"Let's go," Ratchet equipped his Multi-Disc Gun. Clank jumped on his back and the lombax ran down a hallway. Qwark equipped a borrowed Walloper, Skrunch jumped on his shoulder, and they were gone.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Courtney cooed at Nefarious.

The robot was unaffected. Probably because he was already walking away.

"Hrrrphh!" Courtney frowned and platform shoed away.

Slim jogged towards Nefarious. The tyhrranoid and robot passed through a sliding door and were gone.

Lawrence was alone.

"……."

He had been listening the whole time.

"…….."

Calmly putting his hands behind his back, he walked down a hallway which was taken by Ratchet and Clank. He then turned left where the lombax and little robot had turned right.

He wasn't heading for an elevator.

"………"

* * *

"So…..," Nefarious walked at a reasonable pace, "…..why'd you come with me?" 

Slim looked with one eye-stem at Nefarious. "I figured you'd know where Heinous would be."

"Damn right, I do. He's always had a fetish for going downstairs. I'm gonna pay him back for my childhood."

"Not if I get to him first!"

Nefarious frowned. "You won't!.!"

"Hey, you're not the only one who's had his life screwed up by him."

* * *

"Hmmmm," Heinous watched a floating holo-vid. The floating visual display device showed camera footage of Nefarious and Slim. "……………………….E5……………….Vince…………….." 

A robo rooster stood by his side.

Heinous faced the other robot. "Send in the ninjas."

* * *

"Whoever gets to the bottom floor?" Slim asked. 

"I don't care who gets to the bottom floor!" Nefarious grumbled. "I care about getting back at Jeremy for all the torment!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"You're being too aggressive."

Nefarious halted and turned so he could face Slim. The albino also stopped and rose all three of his eyes.

"Other than myself," Nefarious shouted, "you're also another person who's life has been altered thanks to my stepbrother, the worst thing to happen to me! You mentioned four others before you whom you don't even frickin' know! Jeremy has done horrible things to be!.! He's the reason Qwark used to pick on me!.!.! He's the reason I wasn't so good at sports!.!.!.!.! He's the reason why I became what I am today!.!.!.!.!.! Ever since I was SEVEN-BLOODY-YEARS-OLD!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! I'm surprised I made it this far in life without killing myself! Jeremy was OLDER than me. He should have been mature. BUT NO!.!.!.!.!.!.! Because he was spoilt, rich bastard with no hope of being tolerant, he took his anger out on me!.!.!.!.! _ALL OF IT!.!.!.!.!_ Although he's made you a freak, he's done worse to me! So tell me--'E5'--SHOULD I OR _SHOULD I NOT BE TOO AGGRESSIVE_ **_ABOUT THE MAN WHO MADE MY LIFE_** **_A LIVING HELL?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"_**

"………," Slim was silent.

"SHOULD I?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!" Nefarious seemed taller.

"Yes, you should," Slim said defeated.

"Good!" Nefarious spat before he continued walking.

The large door ahead slid open. The strange thing was that Nefarious was ten metres away.

"?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?" Nefarious stopped.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

A shuriken flew and imbedded itself in the floor between Nefarious' feet.

The robot jumped with fright and looked ahead.

Several robotic ninjas stood ready, some armed with double-bladed laser swords; others armed with shurikens.

Nefarious growled, "I don't have time for this!"

From behind……

"Neither do I."

**WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Slim blurred past Nefarious with freakish speed. He jumped, landed on a ninja's head, and proceeded to advance on the nearby elevator by jumping from head to head.

"GRRRRRRRR!" Nefarious folded his arms. Once he unfolded them, he was holding two ray guns.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

* * *

"We're closing in on Marcadia!" a worker said. 

"Patch me through to the president," Sasha said.

"Patching you through now," another worker said.

"…."

"…."

"Done."

The president's tired face appeared. At the sight of his daughter, he gasped a cross between happiness and anger.

"Mr. President," Sasha remained formal. "I hope you received the e-mail I sent--"

"_Yes, I did, Sasha," _the galactic Leader interrupted._ "I asked for an army to take Heinous down already."_

"Oh……," Sasha said, "…..I see."

"_You really shouldn't have gone off like that, Sasha. Perhaps, if you told me…things would have turned out differently."_

"How do you mean, sir?"

"_I would have provided reinforcements to help you out. When you were gone, I barely had any sleep, cuz I was constantly thinking about how much danger you could be in fighting a battle in another galaxy. And worse off……I couldn't watch the old Secret Agent Clank series again."_

"Well…," Sasha fumbled for words, "……..I'm back."

"_And I'm happy for that."_

"Thanks………um……." Sasha returned to her professional self. "The reason I contacted you was to announce that we're going to land on Marcadia."

The president blinked. _"Why? Shouldn't you be fighting Dr. Heinous?"_

"We already have that covered. And the Phoenix is running low on fuel."

"_Okay then. You can land."_

"Thank you, Mister President. Sasha out--"

"_Hold on."_

"What is it, sir?"

The president seemed angry for the first time. He pointed a finger at his daughter and said_, "When all this is over, you and I are gonna have a private talk about all this."_

Sasha blushed slightly, because there where others present in the room besides her. "Okay, sir--"

"_And make sure you keep yourself out of trouble in the near fut--"_

"Okay, sir! Sasha out!.!.!.!"

Click.

She pressed a nearby button and the screen went blank.

* * *

Lawrence walked down the hall calmly, Mapo-matic in hand. 

"………"

* * *

"I think this is Heinous' room," Qwark said as he gazed at the orange, two-story door with the 'H' in its centre. "What do you think, Skrunch?" 

The primate in question nodded its one-eyed head. "Hoo hoo hooh akkkk."

"You're right," Qwark went to the borrowed watch on his right arm and equipped a Heavy Lancer. He looked right and noticed a smaller door, coloured baby blue. This one had a black, 'A' in its centre. "I'm guessing that's Heinous' butler's room…"

"Ak ooooohh."

"Right. Albert's."

"….."

"How do you open this--?"

SCHWIIIIIISH! The door slid up, causing Qwark to jump a little.

Without actually walking in, Qwark scanned the large and spacious room. He gulped for some reason.

"Ah ha ha hhhhhaaaakkkkakaa," Skrunch said.

"I may have redeemed myself, but I still get scared." A beat. "Don't tell anyone I said that, okay?"

Skrunch rolled his one orange eye and nodded.

Qwark smile slightly as he walked in. "Good."

"…."

"…."

Silence.

Qwark slouched as he walked around slowly. Skrunch faced behind Qwark and kept his left hand on the superhero's head. For a whole minute, absolutely nothing happened. Qwark stopped in the middle and scratched his head.

"That's weird. I thought Clank said that--"

He was interrupted.

WHUUU-WHUUU-WHUUU-WHUUU-WHUUU-UUUUUR!.!.!.!.!.!

Walls can from the room's floor. They rose up and stopped upon contact with the ceiling. The room had become suddenly smaller; all the furniture--that was against the original walls--was blocked by the new set of metal ones. Even the door was blocked. There was still space left to roam around though. Qwark and Skrunch were trapped.

They both gulped.

They both heard something.

They both looked up.

SWOOOOOSH-Plant.

Sandy dropped down from out of nowhere and landed on her feet in front of the two. She grinned.

Qwark and Skrunch exchanged chances.

A beat.

"SttcccahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!.!.!.!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The both laughed.

Qwark gasped mockingly. "Oh no, we're being attacked by a cut and cuddly, robotic sand shark! SOMEONE HELP ME!.!.!"

Skrunch just laughed.

"What is she gonna do? Bite us to death?.! HA HA HA HA HA HA--!"

SWOOOOOSH-SLIIIIIIIIK!

"Owie!" Qwark clutched his right arm………with had a one-inch cut. He looked forward, but Sandy was gone.

Skrunch tapped his head and pointed behind them. Qwark looked.

Sandy stood there, facing away. He head fin was dripping a red liquid. Blood. Qwark's blood. The sand shark turned around and gave them a sharp-toothed grin.

* * *

SCHWIIIIISH! 

The door with the bright, black 'R' slid open, allowing Courtney to walk in.

SCHWIIIIIIIIIIIISH!

The door closed behind her.

"……," she stared at the room full of Agent Clank and Courtney merchandise. "Whoa…"

"_You like?" _a young voice slurred.

Courtney blinked her golden eyes and looked around.

"Hi," Raxamis waved from where he was perched atop a cupboard. He jumped and landed in a squat in the middle of the room, his purple cape draping behind his back. "So…," he put his fists on his hips, "……you like?"

"If I didn't know any better," Courtney smirked, "I'd say you were bi."

Raxamis frowned. "I don't feel attraction to anything." A look of sadness. "Dad--Nefarious programmed me that way."

"Awww, you poor thing," Courtney mock cooed. She bore a frown, "I'd have sympathy for you if you didn't try to control me!"

"And that's another thing," Raxamis raised a finger. "Why in Yadar's name would you not wanna fight the guy who literally threw me away?.!"

"Uhmmmmm," Courtney fumbled for words.

Raxamis blinked. Then he gasped happily. "You have a crush on my father!"

Courtney gasped. "No, I don't!.!.!.!.!" she yelled.

"It makes total sense now! This changes everything! He he!"

"I don't have a crush on him!" if Courtney was organic, she'd be blushing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa!" Raxamis hugged himself as he laughed.

FLASH!

A ball of bright pink sailed at him.

Raxamis opened one orange eye, gasped, and jumped to the side. The ball impacted his bed and singed the edge of the covers.

He noticed the ruined bed sheets when he turned around. He growled at Courtney.

The female robot in question smirked. "Not such a fan of me now, huh?"

"I adore you for your work only," Raxamis grunted and reached into his utility belt. "And if it's a fight you want; then it's fight you'll get. And it doesn't matter if anything gets destroyed, cuz I've got doubles. I also have a backup dirk from my computer."

VIIIIIIIIIUM! VIIIIIUUUUM!

He equipped two red laser swords, and attached them by the hilts. The glowing weapon ate all the oxygen present. With his free hand, he removed his cape and placed the article in his belt.

A beat.

"YAAAAAGHHH!" Raxamis charge forward, spinning his double-bladed laser sword.

Courtney jumped over him, did a forward flip in midair, landed on her feat behind him, and back-kicked him with a red platform shoe.

WHAP!

Raxamis stumbled forward. He turned around and glared at her in surprise. "You didn't show that much skill when you went against Qwark!"

Courtney did a double-take. "All I did was land behind you and kick you."

"Yeah, but you weren't _that _acrobatic!"

"Ah, now I remember. When I reactivate after a long time of being out of commission, my power level is low. It takes a while to reach its full capacity."

"…………………Oh." A beat. "DIE!'

Raxamis ran forward, this time his weapon positioned diagonally in front of him.

Courtney was ready.

**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

**

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.! 

Ratchet fired with his N90 Hurricane as he backed up. Ninjas flipped, side-stepped, jumped, cart-wheeled, crawled, and dodged the rapid fire. Some getting destroyed while others escaped.

"We are nearing the door to where the signal is coming from," Clank said from behind Ratchet.

"Good," the lombax replied. He equipped his Rynocirator and fired.

_**FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

More than three quarters of the ninjas were reduced to piles of ash.

Ratchet whipped around and ran through a huge set of double doors. They closed behind him.

"….."

"….."

They were in a huge, hollow room. The same dull metal covered the floor, walls, and ceiling……………………except for a window in front of them a few stories up. A silhouette could be seen.

"_Ratchet……Clank," _a voice boomed from nowhere_, "so nice of you to come."_

Clank jumped off from Ratchet's back. "It's Albert. Dr. Heinous' butler."

"_The very same. Dr. Heinous knew you'd have to split up, so he heightened Raxamis' Sand's and my signal so you'd separate. And I have been graced with the lombax who saved Bogon once and Solana twice."_

Ratchet managed a smirk behind his helmet. "Want my autograph or something?"

"_Alas, no. Which brings us to the situation at hand. I'd like to welcome you to the base's training room."_

"'Training room'?" Ratchet remarked.

"_It's a lot like the VR deck on the Starship Phoenix, but with less limits."_

"Ah."

"_Master Heinous will fire the Biobliterator II in a matter of minutes and you are in the way of his schemes. I have been instructed to annihilate you via this room."_

"Wow, aren't you cheery," Ratchet muttered.

"Sir, is this necessary?" Clank asked.

"_I'm afraid so. Pity……I really like the show you put on."_

"How about _Clank's_ autograph?" Ratchet gestured.

"_Sorry, orders are orders. And now……………engage."_

The room immediately transformed into a black area with green lined everywhere. These lines crisscrossed each other and bent, forming 3D shapes. Ratchet and Clank stuck out like sore thumbs. Then, the room got some colour. Shapes could be made out as the room became smaller. It was a circular arena in an even bigger circular dome. A filed of electricity separated the arena from the wall. Above the wall, several dark figures with red eyes cheered for no apparent reason. On the outskirts, where two ledges on either side if the ring.

"Maktar Arena," Ratchet mumbles as he gazed at his surroundings.

"_Yes," _Albert said. _"Thanks to the documentaries I've seen about you, I know of some you have fought and defeated. Let's see you do it again, shall we?"

* * *

_

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BOUNCE! 

Rolled into a ball with a sharp object attached, Sandy ricocheted of the new walls.

Qwark helplessly ducked and ran every which way he could to avoid the bouncing sand shark.

"Ooooh ah ah ah!"

"It's too fast!"

"Oooh!.!.!"

"Fine!" Qwark tapped button on his storage watch while running. "Ah-ha!" he said as he equipped a small gun with a dart attached to the barrel. "Tranquiliser!"

Skrunch gave him a sceptic look.

"It can tranquilise organics as well as robots," Qwark said proudly. "At lease that's what Jack said."

Skrunch pointed at the metallic blur. Qwark tried aiming, but he couldn't get a decent lock on her. Skrunch seemed to notice, because he was crawling down Qwark's arm. He tapped button on the watch and--

ZAP!

--a laser shot from the watch. Right at Sandy point blank.

WHAP!

She crashed into a wall from being hit.

Skrunch pointed madly.

Qwark nodded, took aim, and fired.

TWIFFFFT!

The dart flew at Sandy.

And--

_**PING!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Sandy deflected it in the nick of time with her foot. The dart flew back and--

**TUNK!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

--flew into Qwark's neck.

The man in green blinked, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed on the floor.

THUMP!

Skrunch jumped off his shoulder. He glared at the grinning sand shark. The primate scampered over to Qwark's watch and took the device off.

"Rawwr ra rar rar rar rar areraaa?" Sandy asked.

'_Do you think you have the advantage when it comes to defeating a robotic sand shark?'_

Skrunch smirked slightly. "Ooh ah akk, haa-aa-k."

'_I can always try, you know.'_

"Raoooowrrrrr grrrr."

'_You'll try and you'll lose, squishy.'_

"Arrrrk rak ooooh ah!"

'_You will be stopped!'_

"A! Rar rar Rawwwrrrrrr rrrrggggrrrg-gr grawwwwl."

'_HA! The Biobliterator II is set to go off in under twenty minutes and you're running out of time.'_

"Ha **aaaa**aahh oooohh--?"

'_What **is**__your problem with organics--?'_

THWIIIIIIIIIIIISH!

Sandy flew at him, spinning vertically.

Skrunch dived out of the way just in time.

Sandy missed, found a wall, and bounced off it. She flew up, bounced off a wall, bounced twice more and flew straight at Skrunch.

Skrunch had a Walloper equipped. He struggled to hold the large weapon.

Sandy sensed it, aimed low, bounced over Skrunch, hit the wall behind him, went higher, hit the wall in front of him, went right, bounced, and went speeding at Skrunch at full speed.

Skrunch had no choice but to duck and--after ducking--run to the side, because Sandy bounced off the wall behind him. She landed in front of him.

Skrunch stored the Walloper and searched though the watch again. He found and equipped a Blitz Cannon. He places the weapon's butt to his chest, wrapped his arms around it, and 'hugged' the trigger.

Sandy rolled to the side.

BLAM!

Making sure that Qwark wasn't in his line of fire, Skrunch fired several shots at Sandy.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Sandy rolled, jumped, bounced, flew, and bounced again.

She landed on her feet and grinned her eyeless at the frustrated monkey. "Rar arar rawr?"

'_Do you give up?'_

Skrunch put the Blitz Cannon away. "Oooh ooh oohh akk!"

'_Not on your life!'_

"Rarrrrr warrr."

'_So be it.'_

Skrunch equipped another weapon.

Sandy 'gasped'.

Morph-O-Ray.

* * *

"HAH! HAH! HAH!" 

ZAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Three blue laser beams flew at Courtney.

Courtney twirled, flipped and cart-wheeled, successfully dodging them. She hurled a spinning projectile at Raxamis.

SWISH!

Raxamis spun his double-bladed laser sword and deflected it easily.

_CLANG!_

It was a distraction for Courtney to come and throw a fist at his head.

WHAM!

Raxamis skidded back a few feet and stopped himself with an emerald-green claw.

He charged at Courtney, spinning his double-bladed weapon.

Courtney performed a high-kick and--

CLONG!

--somehow deflected the laser sword with an indestructible platform shoe.

"HIYAGHH!" Raxamis countered with the other end.

Courtney ducked.

Raxamis kicked.

CLUTCH!

She caught his foot with both hands. "NNNNNNNGHHHH!" he brought them up, causing Raxamis to fall backwards.

He manipulated the move by doing a back-flip. He landed on his bed and fired from his laser cannon.

ZAAAAP!

Courtney jumped over the shot and flung a ball of bright pink.

FLASH!

Raxamis spun his laser swords.

VIIII-CHING!

He succeeded in deflecting them.

He jumped down.

Courtney jumped back, raised her arms, and bought them down.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!.!.!.!.!.!

Raxamis jumped over the wave of red plasma, ignoring the sound of his possessions being destroyed behind him.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Raxamis deflected the spinning pink projectiles that were thrown at him……………and blinked confusingly.

Courtney was gone.

"Courtney….?"

………

"Uh…..Court--AKK!"

**WHAM!**

Courtney had come out from nowhere and kicked him in the side.

Raxamis flew back and--

CRASH!--crashed into a shelve of trinkets.

He groaned.

KONK!

An alarm clock of Agent Clank about to hit Max Million on the head with a mallet fell on his head. He rubbed his bruised cranium.

Courtney smirked at him. "Had enough?"

Raxamis stood up. He spun his weapon by his right side and got into a fighting pose. "Nope."

"Good."

Raxamis charged forward.

FLASH!

Raxamis spun his laser sword(s) and deflected the pink ballast that was thrown at him. CHIIIIIUM!

Courtney responded by performing several back-flips.

Raxamis didn't stop charging.

Whenever Courtney was upside-down, she hurled her spinning, pink projectiles at the other robot.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Raxamis side-stepped, deflected, jumped, rolled, deflected, side-stepped, jumped, and deflected.

Courtney was coming towards the little bit of wall between the computer and a more shelves. And she knew it.

TH-THAP!

Her booted feet found the wall and vaulted off it and over Raxamis. He landed in a handstand.

Raxamis smirked, ran up the wall, pushed off it. He landed on his feet, twirled around and fired his laser cannon.

ZAAAAAP!

Still in a handstand, Courtney spun herself and deflected the blue laser.

"YAAAAGH!" Raxamis ran towards her.

"HAAAA!"

FLASH!

Another blast of pink.

Raxamis wasn't quick enough.

**CLANG!.!.!.!**

The double-bladed laser sword was separated. Both swords were deactivated and went flying in opposite direction. Raxamis was unarmed.

Courtney swung a fist at him.

Raxamis batted the hand away.

Courtney high-kicked at his chin.

Raxamis stepped back.

Courtney flung a spinning pink attack.

SWISH!

Raxamis ducked, rolled around her, and donkey-kicked her in the rear.

WHAP!

Courtney stumbled forward, and twirled around just in time to block--

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAPPPPPP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--a series of blurring punches from Raxamis by hold her arms out in an 'X' shape.

"HIIIIIIIIYAGH!" Raxamis sent a roundhouse kick to her head.

GRIP!

Raxamis' eye widened.

Courtney had successfully caught his foot. She smirked.

"You really weren't bluffing," Raxamis managed, "where you?"

"Nope," Courtney chirped quickly and tossed Raxamis towards the remains of the bed.

Raxamis twirled his body and landed on his feet again.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

Courtney spun towards him.

Raxamis yelped, jumped off the bed, and ran.

Courtney spun after him.

Raxamis stopped and smirked at her. "You're not the only one who can do that." He pulled two laser swords from his belt. Yellow and blue. He held them in one hand each.

Courtney stopped spinning and looked.

Raxamis held his arms out in a crucifix position. His torso started rotating while his hips downward and head remained the same. He spun faster………faster……faster…faster…fasterfasterfasterfasterfa**sterf-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-_f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! _**His centre became a tornado of metallic green, emerald green, azure, bright blue, and bright yellow. And yet his hips downward and head didn't move…..save for his mouth. "Cool, eh?"

"Uhmmmm," Courtney seemed uneasy.

And that's when Raxamis ran at her.

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!.!.!.!.!.!

Courtney spun in unison.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FWOOSH!

_**GRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Sparks flew.

* * *

**PHOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

A missile flew from Ratchet's Megarocket Cannon.

BOOM!

Chainblade was struck dead centre. The behemoth gladiator clutched his chest dramatically, moaned, spun around on one foot and--

_**THUMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--fell on his back with his arms outstretched. He then disappeared in a flash of light.

"**I can't believe it! Chainblade has been defeated!.!.!.!"**

Ratchet stood a few feet away, armed with the said weapon. Clank was on his back in Heli mode.

"Is that the best you can do?.!" Ratchet bellowed.

"_Actually………………………………………………no."_

"**From the Planet Cerebella comes a colossal creation…"**

_**PLANT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

A six-tone being landed in the arena.

Ratchet clenched his jaw and equipped his Mini-Nuke.

"**Stand back for the big and the brainy……"**

P-POW! P-POW! P-POW!

Six pink balls of pure energy were fired at Ratchet's figure, two at a time.

"**Let's give it up for THE B2 BRAWLER!.!.!.!"**

Ratchet side-stepped every shot and went towards the Brawler.

The Cerabellian stood in the centre of the arena, constantly firing two pink blasts of energy at a time. Its legs remained still. Its 'head' rotated and kept its single pink eye in the circling lombax.

Ratchet fired his Mini-Nuke.

BOOOOOM!

The bomb exploded upon contact with the Brawler's long legs.

P-POW!

The Brawler didn't stop firing.

BOOOM!

Another Mini-Nuke bomb exploded upon contact with its legs.

"**It's like watching a train wreck. Wow!" **

The Brawler's eye and antenna changed from pink to yellow. Its legs bent outwards, causing its 'head' to lower. The four appendages spread out straight, all at an equal length. The then started spinning. The Brawler's now yellow eye remained locked on its opponent(s).

Ratchet's heart was racing. He timed his jumps carefully. One false move or wrong timing would have resulted in him getting struck by one of the carbonox legs.

"Ratchet, use your Blitz Cannon," Clank said. "It will surely defeat the Brawler."

"Did it before," Ratchet said. "Gonna do it again!"

He equipped his Blitz Cannon and unleashed blink-of-an-eye blasts.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"**This guy's on a rampage!"**

The Brawler's 'head' spun several turns. The Cannons aimed and fired.

P-POW!

Ratchet's eyes widened. He backed up to where the Brawler's legs couldn't reach him.

Ratchet jumped.

B-BOOM!

The pink balls exploded under him.

SWOOSH!

A metal limb passed under Ratchet, and the lombax landed straight after.

The only problem was--

P-POW! P-POW!

While trying to dodge, Ratchet engaged his Blitz Cannon.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The Brawler immediately stood up.

Ratchet was unfortunate, fore he was hit by two of the balls. His armour absorbed the damage though.

Not wasting any time, the lombax pulled out his Nitro Eruptor and fired one singe shot before the Brawler could attack.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

"**The Brawler's got all he can handle."**

The towering robot in question collapsed, its legs spreading out unevenly. The glass that protected the brain cracked. The brain its self popped, bits of it going everywhere. The colour of the eye and antennas darkened to black. The cannons lowered and finally--

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--the Brawler exploded, pieces of the six-tone robot flying everywhere.

"**The B2 Brawler is down and out!"**

Ratchet barely panted. His helmet tilted up and the lombax said, "Got more for me?"

"_As a matter of fact, I do."_

The entire scenery went back to blackness, then things became clear and Ratchet and Clank knew where they where.

"_The Megacorp Games arena. Enjoy."_

Gladiators and robots began to fill the arena. They were followed by lava. Ratchet ran to the centre, where a circular platform had arisen. The moment he landed on it from a jump, he was propelled upwards. Knowing what was going to happen, Ratchet equipped his Gravity Boots.

"**Make way for the Terror of Tarantia. It's shocking! It's amazing! Give it up for THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ARACNOID!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

* * *

**

SWOOOOOOOSH-GRIP!.!.!.!.! 

A clawed hand wrapped around Slim's ankle.

"I'm gonna get there first!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious growled and flung the tyhrranoid behind him.

Slim twirled his body and landed in a sliding crouch.

DING!

The elevator that was called earlier arrived. Nefarious jumped in and pressed the button to the lowest floor. The doors began to close.

FWOOOOOSH!

Slim blurred towards the elevator……

……and didn't make it in time.

He skidded to a stop.

Behind him--

VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUUUUUUUUUM!

Without looking, Slim reached behind him, snatched a laser sword out of a ninja's hand, spun around once, and sliced the robot in two.

He then used the same sword to open the elevator doors in front of him.

VIIIIUUU-CHIIIIIIIIIIM!

A circular hole was made.

Slim threw the sword behind him and jumped into the shaft.

He fell.

He could see the elevator car's roof closing in.

The tyhrranoid equipped a gun from his storage watch.

He fired up.

SPLORCH!

A blob of goo was launched from the barrel to the top of the shaft. Amazingly, it hit the pulley point blank……………and hardened.

The elevator jolted to a stop.

Slim then fired low.

SPLORCH!

The elevator was stuck.

P-PLANT!

Slim landed on the car's roof. He selected a Walloper and--

POW!.!.!.!.!.!

--dented the closed doors.

Three more time and the doors were punched clear off.

"Loser!"

Slim yelled as he jumped through. Although he didn't know it, he was now on the thirty-first floor. He set off to find another elevator.

…

…

…

…

CRUNCH!

A clawed fist punched through the elevator's roof.

A beat.

SMASH!

Nefarious jumped up, literally creating a gapping hole in the roof. He growled, "No one makes a fool out of me and gets away with it!"

He entered the thirty-first floor and set chased after Slim.

* * *

_**GRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Courtney and Raxamis--still spinning madly--struggled against each other to overpower. They hadn't stopped once. Platform shoe met laser sword met platform shoe met laser sword.

Raxamis clenched his jaw and applied more pressure.

Courtney gritted her pearly whites and tried spinning faster. Her hands were connected at the bottom of the palm, one facing up and the other facing down. He was using the same leg.

"NNNnnnnnnnnngghh-NNNNNNGH!"

NNNNNNNN-RAAAAAAAAUGH!" Raxamis kicked outward.

THWAP!

Courtney's single standing leg was tripped.

She stopped spinning and fell on her rear.

"HAAAA!" Raxamis stopped spinning too. He raised both laser swords and swiped downward.

Courtney kicked her legs up and somersaulted backwards.

Raxamis struck bare floor, leaving scorch marks.

Courtney stood up and sent a red plasma wave.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!

Raxamis jumped with no effort.

Before Raxamis could land on his feet, Courtney ran and--

THWACK!

--kicked him in the crystal.

"OOF!"

Raxamis flew back and crashed against the room's locked door.

He looked down worriedly at his source of power.

"Ah, nothing wro--AAK!"

He ducked.

THWAM!

A titanium fist smashed into the place where Raxamis' head was.

Raxamis got up from his roll and charged at Courtney.

She had removed her fist from the door. Courtney jumped over Raxamis before he could cut her in two.

Plant.

She landed behind him.

Raxamis performed a backwards kick.

Courtney caught his foot.

Raxamis deactivated the yellow laser sword, put the hilt in his mouth, and transformed his free arm into a laser cannon. He fired back.

ZAAAAAAAAAAP!

Courtney leaned her head to the side, dodging the blue laser. She tossed Raxamis over her head.

Raxamis purposely landed on his head, spun upside-down and struck Courtney with his sword.

VIIIIU-SCRAPE!

"AAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Courtney screamed with surprise. She had a two-inch long diagonal slit across her lower back…revealing a few wires.

Raxamis swiped again.

Courtney side-jumped, dodging the attack. He unleashed more of her projectiles.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Raxamis deflected them easily with one laser sword. He removed the other from his mouth and said, "Did I hurt you?"

"You will pay for that!" Courtney shook a fist.

Raxamis shrugged.

Courtney unleashed more bright pink charges.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Raxamis raised his swords.

* * *

"Come on! Come on! We must be ready!" Heinous barked. "We have only seven minutes left before we're in range of Veldin!" 

A robo rooster walked up to him.

"WHAT?.!" Heinous loomed over it.

The red robot 'clicked' in morse code.

Heinous' eyes bulged.

Eighteen stories above…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

A door exploded.

Slim and Nefarious walked into The Big Room. They both move forward and leaned over a set of railings.

"….."

"…."

They saw him.

He saw them.

There where eighteen storied between them.

Along with several catwalks, chock full of robots.

Nefarious and Slim looked at each other.

"….."

"…."

Slim dove over the railings.

Nefarious dove after him.

The firing commenced.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

BLAM! B-BLAM! B-B-B-B-B-BLAM!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

PHWOOOOOM! PHWOOOM! PHOOOM! FWOOOOOM!

TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

ZAP! Z-ZAP!

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

BANG! BANG! B-BANG! BANG! BANG!

TWASH! TWASH! TWASH!

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

TWOOOOSH!

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOSH!

Blasters…

Shurikens…

Devastators…

Shock Cannons…

Annihilators…

Tempests…

Multi-Disc Guns…

N60 Storms…

N90 Hurricanes…

All of them and much more were used from the labyrinth of bridges on every story.

Slim and Nefarious fell with their backs to one another.

Slim equipped a Plasma Storm in one hand and a Wolloper in the other.

Nefarious folded his arms, unfolded them, and came out with two ray guns. He formed a shield around himself.

Both freaks fired.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Big attacks like missiles were destroyed.

Some robots that were in the way or too close were zapped to smithereens.

Smaller attacks bounced of electronic steel or force-field.

Fifteen stories left…

Some ninjas jumped after them and unleashed shurikens.

Nefarious didn't bother with them.

Slim did.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOM! Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZAP!

Every one of those ninjas was destroyed.

Ten stories left…

Missiles flew after them.

This time, Nefarious bothered.

He fired up.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

BOOM! BOOOO-OOOO-OOOM! B-B-B-B-BOOOOM!

Slim kept two eyes out for enemies on the bridges and the remaining eye on the missiles. One missile came closed enough.

_**POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

He succeeded in punching it away with his Walloper.

The projectile flew into a bridge and exploded, taking seven robots with it.

Five stories left…

No more robots attacked.

Nefarious and slim both looked below them.

Heinous was making a run for it.

The Biobliterator II was already being transported out of the massive area via small ships. It was less than a mile away.

Nefarious slowed his fall by hovering.

Slim equipped a glove, threw a ball………which inflated into a trampoline.

BOING!

He bounced, flipped, and landed several feet away.

Nefarious laded a little behind him.

"Show no mercy!" Heinous growled and pointed for attack.

Vehicles sped towards the two.

Heinous ran to a nearby hover scooter, jumped on, and sped towards the weapon.

Slim and Nefarious were surrounded by robots and attack vehicles……all aiming at them.

Immediately, Nefarious jumped, rolled himself into a ball, and unleashed several missiles. Some vehicles and robots got pounded……many other survived.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Slim blurred to one vehicle, dodging bullets. He placed a bomb near what he presumed to be the engine, and hopped to another victim.

BOOOOOM!

The vehicle exploded, taking a few robots with it.

Slim uppercut one robot, caught it before it could fly, and used it a bludgeon.

BLAAAAAM!

A blue wave of plasma destroyed the legs of five attacking robots.

Nefarious smirked, then frowned. He looked over his shoulder.

Heinous was getting away.

"Nnnnnghh!"

CLUTCH! CLUTCH!

He grabbed two robots by the heads and--

CRUCH!

--smashed them into each other.

He made a run for the last vacant hover scooter.

BOOOOOM!

A small mushroom cloud was what was left of a tank.

Slim looked over his shoulder with one eye to see if he was being attacked. Instead, he saw Nefarious jump on a hover scooter and speed after Heinous.

The tyhrranoid frowned.

Trailing wind, Slim blurred after.

Robots perused him.

He managed to catch up with Nefarious.

The robot looked left and did a double-take. "Not getting tired, are you, Jack?" he managed a nasty smirk.

"If I am," Slim uttered, "I can always use this!"

Slim selected something from his watch.

Nefarious blinked.

It was a hoverboard.

"Oh my God," Nefarious slurred. "It's a….a….a……….a……………." his voice lingered.

"A Z5000," Slim smirked proudly.

"……….," Nefarious just stared.

Slim jumped, placed the board and under him. It activated immediately. He saluted Nefarious and hovered away.

Nefarious stared dumbly after the tyhrranoid. He growled when he realised his hover scooter couldn't catch up.

Heinous was still visible.

A ship flew above Nefarious, dropping missiles.

"AAAAAUGH! I don't have time for this!" Nefarious swerved left and right.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

The missing bombs exploded, leaving large holes in the base's floor.

Nefarious, parked, jumped off the scooter, hovered in midair, concentrated, and unleashed missiles.

They flew and--

BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOOOM-BOOM-B-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

--exploded all over the ship.

Nefarious flew a little and managed to land on the hover scooter. He revved and drove off.

VRMMMMMMMM!

VRMMMMMMMM!

Two constructobots drove alongside him on either side…………equipped with Plasma Whips.

TWP!

The one on the right whipped.

Nefarious jumped, but kept hold of the handlebars.

The whip missed.

One came from the other side.

Still keeping his hold on the handlebars, Nefarious ducked his head.

This time, both whips came.

TWP! TWP!

Nefarious reached a hand out and caught one, his tough metallic self keeping him safe from harm.

"HAAAAA! SUCKER--!.!.!.!.!"

T-T-T-T-T-TWP!

The other whip wrapped around his ankle.

"Uh oh."

Both constructobots pulled.

Nefarious drove with one arm. With the other, he pulled. The constructobot to his left was pulled from its scooter. It stupidly held on to the whip's hilt. Nefarious swung the robot over his head and sent it--

WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--crashing into the one on the left.

Both scooters--empty or with an overload of riders--swerved and spun out of Nefarious' view.

A beat.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

He blinked and looked behind him.

The two scooters he had just gotten rid of crashed into some hoverscooter-driving constructobots that were coming up close.

Nefarious equipped one ray gun and fired behind him.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Some constructobots were hit. They either exploded, or they crashed into an ally.

Nefarious fired blindly. When he looked ahead, his eyes winded.

Five constructobots. The only difference was that they were piloting mechs.

Nefarious replaced his ray gun with a wave of blue plasma in his hand and tossed it behind him.

BLAAAAAAAM!

Taking his ray gun out again, he fired at every cockpit.

ZAAAAP! ZAAAAAP! ZAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAP!

All five cockpits were penetrated. That didn't prevent them from firing from their arm turrets.

_**RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

* * *

**_

"You're dead, loser!" Gary yelled before releasing a hoard of missiles from a machine attached to his back. 

Ratchet back-flipped across the Annihilation Nation arena, avoiding them easily.

PWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

He sent another Decimator missile at the gladiator.

BOOOM!

The missile exploded on Gary's chest, removing some armour.

"**Did you see that?.!"**

"Go get 'em, sister!" Gary shouted as he hovered via jetpack to a safe place up high.

A hideous robot with Viking horns took his place.

"Mwa!" Helen blew a kiss to the silhouetted, red-eyed crowd. "Thank you. Thank you. You know I'm beautiful."

She jumped.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

She landed, sending a wave of electricity.

Ratchet avoided it and many more with hardly any effort. He kept his distance as to avoid Helen's whip.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A Nitro Erupter bomb exploded directly over head. She exploded, sending pieces of her bouncing everywhere.

"**Whoa! He's lighting it up like a Christmas tree!"**

"Yeah!" Ratchet mimicked lifting a dumbbell.

"It's not over yet, Ratchet," Clank uttered.

"What--? Oh crap…"

Missiles flew.

Ratchet back-flipped.

BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOM! B-BOOOO-OOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! B-B-B-B-B-BOO-OOOO-OOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

PL-PLANT!

Gary landed.

"Die!"

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

He unleashed plasma from a large gun he pulled from his back.

Ratchet side-stepped, equipped his Shock Blaster.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

BOOOOM! Gary exploded, sending pieces of him everywhere.

"**Who's gonna take him on next?.! Not me, man!"**

Everything froze.

Ratchet and Clank were used to this.

The robot quickly jumped off Ratchet's back. He knew it was safe.

"_A valiant effort, Ratchet," _Albert's voice droned.

"Is this an attempt to kill me?" Ratchet asked. "Cuz I'm beating everything you throw at me. Why don't you try throwing something I don't know how to beat, huh?"

"_I'll annihilate you as I please. And it's not an attempt to kill you. It's an attempt to take out all your ammunition……………………then kill you."_

Although it couldn't be seen, Ratchet growled.

"_And I can always use the same enemy more than once, you know. Not they though."_

Everything went back to normal.

Clank jumped on Ratchet's back.

Ratchet equipped his HK22 Gun.

"Prepare to be destroyed!" a voice with a French yelled.

"Oh no…," Ratchet moaned.

ZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet side-jumped to avoid Scorpio's saw blade.

He landed and glared.

The scorpion-tank-Cerebellian hybrid laughed, "Ho ho h-ho!"

ZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet side-jumped again and engaged his HK22 Gun.

The three bombs hovered, hummed, opened up when Scorpio was close enough, and flew into him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"**Man, I should fix this guy up with my ex-wife!"**

Scorpio gasped dramatically. "You vill pay for that!"

He came closer, emitting fore from his arm-like flamethrowers.

**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Ratchet backed up, firing the HK22 Gun madly.

Tiny pieces of Scorpio went flying in every which direction.

He brought his tail down, releasing a saw blade.

ZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet flipped over it and replaced his HK22 Gun with his R.Y.N.O. II.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM

"Merde," Scorpio uttered before--

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

--exploding.

"**I think there's a lesson to be learned there, folks. Never mess with a trigger-happy lombax!"**

The whole arena turned black.

"_Well done, gentlemen. Prepare for the biggest challenge before you go up against Chainblade again."_

The environment changed to a chamber. One that had a few pillars and bridges that formed squares. There was also a horrible odour.

"Damn…….," Ratchet uttered.

"Be ready," Clank said.

A beat.

SWOOOOOOOOSH!

A large body landed from above.

"**ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHHH!.!.!.!.!.!" **it roared.

Ratchet equipped his N90 Hurricane and prepared to fight the Tyhrranoid Momma.

* * *

Lawrence hummed to himself as he turned a corner. He was surprised that he hadn't been attacked by any rangers. 

"….."

He neared a selected door.

"………."

* * *

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAP! 

Courtney held her arms out in a 'X' position, absorbing punches from Raxamis.

Raxamis grinned and swing his foot out.

Courtney jumped grabbed Raxamis' head, jumped over him, pulled him over her, spun twice and flung him towards the remains of the bed.

Raxamis landed on his back. He groaned as his eyes thinned to a close.

Courtney neared him.

"…."

Raxamis didn't move.

"……"

Courtney stopped.

"No way you could have been defeated that easily," she uttered.

"Right-o!" Raxamis yelled, and aimed up with his laser cannon arm.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Courtney ducked.

The blast travelled over her head, and went through the ceiling, forming a large hole.

A beat.

"Oops," Raxamis uttered.

* * *

Skrunch clutched his chest after being frightened. He was in mid-run, when a blue laser came through the floor…almost frying him. 

Sandy was in a similar predicament. Although she didn't have a heart to stop, she was still curious.

The edges of the hole smoked.

Being closest to the gap, Skrunch neared and looked down. He saw Raxamis fighting Courtney with laser swords.

"Nnnnghh."

The monkey blinked and looked behind.

Qwark stirred awake. He rubbed his head, "That dart must have hit me," he noticed Skrunch looking at him. "Did you beat that sand shark--?"

SWOOOOOOOOOOSH! SCRAP!

"OW!"

Sandy had launched herself at Qwark, and cut him across the bicep. She stood a few feet away from him and Skrunch, bearing her sharp-toothed grin.

"I'm outta here!" Qwark shrieked before jumping into the hole.

Skrunch blinked his one eye. He jumped right after.

They fell and--

* * *

WH-WHUMP!.!.! 

--crashed on Raxamis, who was about to swipe at Courtney. His laser swords went flying out of his hands. "Nnnnnghhh!" he struggled under the weight. "Gerroff!"

Courtney blinked, her back facing the dented door.

Qwark's butt was on Raxamis' back. "Hi," he dumbly said to Courtney.

"Hi," Courtney uttered.

"Ooooh, oooh ah," Skrunch said as he jumped from Qwark's head.

"Yeah, let's go," Qwark said as he gently took the watch from Skrunch. He equipped a Splitter Rifle, "Courtney, get out of the way."

Courtney did.

**PO-OW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

A large and circular hole was made in the door.

"Let's go!" Qwark yelled as he picked himself up from Raxamis' body.

"What about him?.!" Courtney meant Raxamis.

"Just a distraction!" Qwark stopped at the hole. He looked at her, "I bet Nefarious and Slim are the one who found Heinous! We should regroup with Ratchet and find the others!"

Courtney nodded and followed suit.

Skrunch ran after them on all fours.

Raxamis groaned and stood up.

A beat.

THWAP!

Sandy landed on his head.

"!.!.!.!.!" Raxamis fell on his butt.

Sandy jumped off and looked at him curiously, as if she did nothing.

Raxamis stood up instantly. "They're getting away!.!.! GET 'EM!.!.!.!"

Sandy responded by jumping, bouncing off the floor, then the ceiling, then the floor again, and through the hole.

Raxamis collected all his dropped laser swords. He pocketed them except for one--a red one--and was the last out of his trashed room.

* * *

_Schwishhh._

The door slid open.

Lawrence walked in and observed the control room. He was alone.

"Ah, just as Master Nefarious said," the butler spoke to himself, "'Heinous loves setting things up upstairs'."

He passed by the five empty passenger seats.

"……"

He arrived to the captain's chair and observed the controls.

"….."

His blue eyes fell on a computer monitor that was turned on. He pressed a few keys.

"………………..hmmm."

More keystrokes.

"Bingo," he said and extracted a communicator from his back pocket.

* * *

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP! 

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

The Tyhrranoid Momma swung her tentacle-like arms.

Ratchet succeeded in dodging them by back-flipping. He fired.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

The last few shots missed, because the behemoth jumped, and clung onto the ceiling with all fours. The turret on her back lowered, attached to a sticky piece of skin…and fired.

TATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet jumped over some of the fire and took refuge behind a pillar. He panted.

"_Getting tired? Surrender and your death will be quick and painless."_

Ratchet was about to curse when his communicator chimed. He tapped a button on the right side if his helmet, where the cheek was. "Ratchet here."

The Momma's firing ceased.

Ratchet ran and listened.

"_Ratchet, this is Lawrence. I have found a way to destroy the base."_

Ratchet back-flipped and used his Tesla Claw.

"Great. Do it."

"_I need to set the time first," _Lawrence explained. _"How much time do you need?"_

"A lot."

"**ROOOOOOOOOOOO-ARRRRRRRRRRR!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**

"_Where are you?"_

"I'm in the--"

* * *

"_--base's training room."_

"I can shut everything down there. I'm in the base's main control room."

"_Well, I'm not keeping you. Do you want him to stop this fighting, Clank?"_

"_Yes, Ratchet."_

"Affirmative. I'll shut it down now. Then we'll talk about the base's--"

* * *

"_--destruction after."_

"I'll ask you how you did this later."

"_Yes, you will."_

The Tyhrranoid Momma disappeared instantly.

"_W-What?" _Albert's voice sounded confused. A beat. _"Someone must be in the control room…"_

Everything went to metal.

The training room's door swished open.

Ratchet didn't waste time. He and Clank exited.

"Okay," Ratchet said. "What's the status?"

"_I'm unable to shut the Biobliterator II launch down. But I can destroy the base in a great explosion."_

"Wait for me to get to the top floor."

"_I'm afraid that will take too long. You're on the twenty-first floor. Turn left right now and enter the door to your right."_

"Got it."

Ratchet turned left and right.

He was in room full of equipment. Weapons, to be exact. Spare parts.

"What next?"

"_Call your ship."_

"Wait, what about Heinous?"

"_I think our top priority is the base."_

"Fine," Ratchet pressed a button on his glove. "Need a lift?"

"_I'll get one from Qwark's shuttle. More space."_

"Right. We'll keep in the base's orbit. Ratchet out."

"Thank you very much, Lawrence," Clank said.

"_You're welcome. Lawrence out."_

And at exactly that moment--

CRASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--Ratchet's ship smashed through a wall. Robot parts were sucked out by the vacuum.

Ratchet jumped, guided himself and Clank, and landed them in the open cockpit. The lid closed and the ship drifted away.

* * *

"Well, that was a complete waste of time," Ratchet said as he removed his helmet. 

"Let's look on the bright side of things," Clank said.

"Like what?" Ratchet guided the ship from its controls, his golden helmet on his lap.

"Although we weren't successful, there is still hope that the others will be."

"Let's hope they don't get killed……………………or worse."

"What could be worse?"

"They could get turned into robots."

"………"

"…………………OH! Uh…no offence, Clank."

"None taken, Ratchet."

* * *

Nefarious swerved left and right on the hover scooter, dodging bombs from a ship above. 

BOOM!

One exploded behind him.

BOOM!

Another to his left.

BOOM!

The right.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Nefarious used his ray gun on the ship. The red and black attack pierced through the ship, came out from the other side, and caused the vessel to explode.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Why won't you go faster?.!" Nefarious banged on the handlebars.

BEEP!

He stopped.

"_You have engaged Turbo," _a voice from the scooter said.

"Huh?" Nefarious blinked.

"_Turbo will begin in three……two….one."_

_**SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The scooter sped along the base, nearing the wall at a faster rate.

Nefarious guided the scooter around remains of robot parts, probably done by Slim.

And speaking of the tyhrranoid, Slim was in view and getting closer.

Nefarious grinned.

Slim seemed to have sensed it, because his eye looked behind. It frowned.

Nefarious moved passed him. Slim clenched his jaw and increased speed. They were neck and neck now.

They frown at each other.

"You can't go faster, squishy!"

"Neither can you!"

"I can do this!" Nefarious swerved right to his Slim.

Slim jumped, did a Crunchy, and landed on his left.

"You'll have to do better than that, Nefarious!"

Nefarious pulled out his trademark ray gun and fired.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Slim, jumped, performed a Cracker Jack, and landed a few feet ahead of the robot.

"HOLD STILL!" Nefarious fired again.

ZAAAAAAAAAP!

Slim jumped and performed several moves.

Double Darla.

ZAAAAAAAAAP!

Chomper.

ZAAAAAAAAAAP!

Revolverator.

ZAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!

The Commando. Snagglebeast.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Do The Robot. Drek's Revenge. Call Me Sally. Sand Shark.

"I SAID HOLD STILL!.!.!.!"

ZAAAP! ZAAAAP! ZAAAAAP! ZAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAP!

Blarg Air. Scratcher. Gonzo. Big Al. Qwarktastic. Plumber's Crack. Tip Tweak.

"RAAAAAAUGH!.!.!.!.!"

ZAAAAAAAAP!

Twisty McMarx.

Through every jump and trick, Slim had landed all around Nefarious, still keeping hold of the hoverboard. He was now several feet away.

Nefarious' eyes widened.

So did Slim's.

Dr. Heinous was visible up ahead. His hover scooter was parked near a space shield. The Biobliterator II was out all the way, but still in range for a jump.

Heinous frowned. "NO! NO! NO!" his wings came out from his back as he passed through the shield and out into space…towards the weapon.

Slim selected an O2 mask from his watch. The headwear materialised in his albino hands electronically. It was a lot like Ratchet's, but lacked the holes for ears. Instead, it had three long, eye-stem-shaped protrusions at the top. The tyhrranoid put it on. He was about to pass through the shield, when his communicator chimed.

He cursed, pulled over--allowing Nefarious to pass--and brought the small device to his……………head.

"Jack here. I'm a little busy. Make it snappy."

"_Jack, this is Lawrence. I'm in the base's control room and have found a way to destroy the base."_

"Really? How?"

"_A self-destruction sequence."_

"Do tell."

"_I can set the timer to any limit. Has the Biobliterator II been launched yet?"_

"Yes. I was about to go into space after it."

"_Oh, sorry if I interrupted."_

"S'okay. Hurry that timer up."

"_You're the last one. I already spoke to Ratchet, Clank, Qwar--"_

"Get to point."

"_Right. Ratchet and Clank are in the ship. Qwark is on the way here to pick me up. Courtney and Skrunch are with him. After me, we'll come for you. Bottom floor?"_

"Yeah, that's me."

"_I'll set the timer to two minutes. The Biobliterator II takes three to fully get in range."_

"Do it."

"_The clock is already ticking. I'll guide Qwark to you. Just stay put."_

"Right. S--Jack out."

Slim pocketed the communicator, but kept the O2 mask on.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time," he uttered.

Robots approached him.

Slim sighed and equipped a Heavy Bouncer.

* * *

Nefarious climbed from the edge of the Biobliterator II. He stood up straight and looked around. He could see everything. The magnifying glasses, the pink laser that transformed Skid into a robot, the cuboid, the small ships…………….Veldin. But all that didn't matter. He cared about only one thing. And that _thing _was in the middle of the Deplanetizer. 

"Jeremy…," Nefarious clenched his fists. "Your shit ends now!"

"Oh really, brother?" Heinous leaned against the pink laser. "Come and get me."

Nefarious could have destroyed the robot arms and magnifying glass near him. He could have attacked the cuboid. He could have blown all the small ships up. But he didn't. He just ran.

Heinous just stood there, he snapped his fingers and smirked.

SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH!

Five of the small hovering ships flew and levitated in Nefarious' way. It was evident that these weren't ships…..they were robots. Olive green, egg-shaped, hovering things with one blue eye, they were.

"Get 'im."

Their eyes glowed brigher blue and--

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

--emitted bright blue balls of plasma.

Nefarious ducked the shots. He concentrated and hurled a hologram of himself.

WOOOOSH!

The translucent doppelganger sailed, extended a claw and--

WHAP!

--hit one of the hovering egg-shaped robots that wasn't quick enough.

The egg flew and--

CLANG!

--dented the pink laser a bit. It broke in four pieces and fell at Heinous' feet.

Heinous frowned. He spoke into a communicator, "Charge the laser up! NOW!"

Two robots flew at Nefarious, single eyes glowing.

FLASH! FLASH!

Nefarious ducked one, brought out a ray gun and--

CLANG!

--deflected the other.

The other two came from the side. All four fired.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Nefarious jumped while firing. ZAAAAAAAAP! He managed to take down one robot. He landed, rolled, dodged more fire, jumped and--SLIIIIIIIICE!-- sliced another in two. FLASH! FLASH! He swivelled around, and brought his gay guns in front of his face. CL-CLANG! After deflecting, he destroyed both of them with the said weapons. ZAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAP!

He smirked at his stepbrother. "Is that all you got?"

"Vince, you don't know what I--"

JOLT!

The giant laser shook.

Both robots crouched and grabbed hold of the weapon's surface.

"WHAT THE HELL?.!.?.!.?.!" Heinous yelled.

SWOOOOSH!

A familiar, red ship flew over their heads. Ratchet saluted from the cockpit.

Nefarious couldn't help it. He smiled.

Heinous didn't though. "RAAAAAAAAAGH!" He aimed a laser from his chest, when--

SHOOOOSH! BOOM!

A flying missile flew and exploded at his feet, shaking him and causing him to fire off target.

FLAAAAAASH!

The yellow blast flew and--

SNAP!

--broke a robot arm.

Heinous looked.

Qwark's shuttle flew by.

"NOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

Ratchet's ship fired missiles at the cuboid.

"I won't let this happen!" Heinous' wings emerged from his back once again as he began to fly 'up'.

Ratchet's face seemed worried, but not because Heinous was going to attack.

"?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?" Nefarious wondered why.

And then, it happened.

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

A huge ball of fire emitted from Heinous' base. The forty-story cube was engulfed by pure plasma, triggering a set of small explosions.

BOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOM! B-BOOOOM!

Several pieces of the base flew and were caught in Veldin's gravitational pull. One large chunk flew at the weapon.

_CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

The weapon was separated into several pieces, the laser, the Deplanetizer, the glasses, and everything else plummeted towards Veldin………………………………….Nefarious and Heinous along with it.

Ratchet's ship and Qwark's shuttle were pounded by debris.

Everything fell towards Veldin.

* * *

In a giant, underground, garage-like place, the Starship Phoenix was being pumped with fuel. Flanked by rangers and Al, Sasha viewed the recharging from a faraway bridge. 

"How much longer until the Phoenix is recharged?" Sasha asked Al.

"Estimated time," Al tinkered with a calculator, "thirty-five minutes."

"Does it really take that long?" a random ranger asked.

"It takes one full Marcadian year for the Phoenix to use up all its fuel. A month's worth is lost with every hyper space execution. It's worth it."

"Right, Captain."

"We should head for Veldin right after--" Sasha was cut off.

"Captain! Captain!" A subordinate ran up to them with a portable holo-vid in his hands. "We have just received a transition from Captain Qwark!.!"

Al jumped.

Sasha kept her cool. "Let's see."

"There was no visual," the worker said, "just sound."

"Then let's listen," Sasha gritted her teeth.

The subordinate pressed a button on holo-vid. Everyone--ranger included--listened.

"_Sccckkckckkcct…Qwark here. I'm pil--sssskskskskkkkkkkkyy--nous' base. We've att--ssksksskktsttststxtTSTSTSTTkkkk--estroy it and the base, but, we've been hit by debris! On--ssskskskkskktk--ision course with Planet Veldin. Shuttle damaged. Skkskskskskskkssscccscssx--p. We need backup--OH, SHI--sskskskkktktkkkkkxxx………xxxkxkxkkskxkskksstttstststxtsxxlsskskxsx!"_

"This signal stopped from there," the subordinate said as he switched the holo-vid off.

"Oh, no!" Al streaked. "We gotta get to Veldin!"

Sasha was silent.

"……"

* * *

Ratchet groaned as he lifted his head from the ship's dashboard. He felt a small trickle of blood flowing down the right side of his head. He felt the source and winced at the pain. He looked right with weak eyes. Clank had his arms, legs and neck contracted into his body like a turtle. 

Ratchet nudged him.

Immediately, the green eyes slid open. Clank stretched his robotic arms and legs and stood up on his seat.

"You okay, Clank?" Ratchet asked.

"I'll be fine," the robot responded. He noticed Ratchet's bleeding and 'gasped'. "Ratchet, you're--"

"I know, Clank. Don't worry, I have Nanotech."

"You'd better use it soon then."

* * *

Fully healed and wearing his armour, Ratchet climbed out of the ship, Clank following after him. 

The ship was examined. It was butchered. Pieces of it were missing. The mystic would have asked for fifty crystals to fix the broken vessel this time.

"I'm surprised we made it," Ratchet said.

"So am I."

They then noticed their surroundings. A desert. Nothing but sand everywhere. The sun shined in the sky hotly and there was a small breeze.

"We're on Veldin for sure," Ratchet said.

"I couldn't agree more," Clank responded.

"A storm is coming," Ratchet said bluntly.

"How do you know that?"

"There's a short breeze. I remember something about this in Geography Class."

Clank 'smiled', "And I thought you didn't listen in school."

"Heh."

"……………"

"……………"

"We should find the others," Clank said.

"How?"

"I do not know about some, but I have a lock on Dr. Nefarious' signal. That way," he pointed.

"Right," Ratchet adjusted his helmet. "Let's go."

* * *

All the debris formed a giant junkyard. 

Nefarious crawled out of the wreckage. He had survived by producing a shield around himself. He pushed back random metal parts and moved.

"…."

He stopped.

"?"

He listened.

"…."

Shouting.

He walked.

The shouting grew louder.

Nefarious pushed back a final piece of robot.

Heinous had also survived. He was yelling his head off at no one. He stood on a mountain of metal.

"ALL THAT PLANNING! ALL THAT WORK! RAAAAUGHHHHH!"

CLONK!

He kicked a lost constructobot's head.

"Oh hush, Jeremy."

Heinous looked.

Nefarious spoke again, "Whether the others died or not, one thing's for certain. This brotherhood ends here."

Heinous calmed down a little. He managed a smirk. "It'll all even out after this."

"First time we've agreed since that cheese incident."

"Yeah."

A beat.

They frowned.

They charged.

Heinous down a hill.

Nefarious up a hill.

Yellow and red eyes glowing.

Fists clenched and ready for battle.

Jaws tight.

Robotic gears turning.

Both yelling.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

* * *

**_

Queue the opera music! 

If you have any qualms about the whole space thing, just remember Gemlic Base in R&C 1.


	45. Final battle Part 1

**Chapter Forty-five: Final battle Part 1**

STOMP-STOMP-**STOMP-STOMP!**

STOMP-STOMP-**STOMP-STOMP!**

Nefarious pulled out a ray gun and fired a few feet above Heinous.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

The red and black laser made contact with a large piece of junk, causing it to slide after the green stepbrother.

Heinous sensed it and jumped effortlessly with a foot sailing at his stepsibling's face.

Nefarious brought both guns up in front of him.

_TOING!_

The underside of Heinous' foot made contact with the weapons. He vaulted off, flipped backwards. While still in the air, he arched his back so his face could………face Nefarious, opened his mouth and shot a disk.

TWIIIIISH!

Nefarious ducked. He concentrated and--

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

--sent a hologram at his stepbrother.

Heinous ran, somersaulted over the digital copy, and landed in a roll.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Nefarious fired from his ray guns.

Heinous side-rolled left and right, dodging the laser beams. At one point, he got close enough to leap.

Nefarious was pushed on his back. He used the momentum to kick Heinous over him.

Heinous landed in a crouch. He stuck a hand in the ground and concentrated. Blue and yellow sparks ran down his arm A few feet away--

_**CHKKKKKK!**_

--a large, blue ball with yellow sparks emerged from below the lost metal.

"HRAAAAAGHH!" Heinous shouted.

The ball bounced towards Nefarious.

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!- POW!.!.!.!.!.!**

Nefarious--still on his back--grabbed his guns and rolled out of the way.

The ball missed him, bounced and exploded where the fight began.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Nefarious was distracted for--

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!

Yellow lead soared at him.

Nefarious ran every which to avoid the continuous fire.

Heinous was the source of it all. His arms were outstretched, not looking as if the shooting would cease anytime soon.

"Do you see it now, Vince?.! I'm the better brother!.!.! I ALWAYS WAS!.!.!.!"

"No, you weren't!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOSH!

A robot arm flew out of nowhere, spinning.

Heinous gasped. He wasn't fast enough to shot it.

_CLANG!.!.!.!.!.!_

He was struck in the jaw. He stopped shooting and teetered back.

PUNCH!

Nefarious flew out of nowhere and punched him in the already injured jaw.

THWAP!

Heinous was kicked in the chest. He came to his senses and dodged a fist. He swung a fist.

Nefarious side-stepped and moved behind him.

Heinous back-kicked.

WHAP!

His stepbrother was kicked in the chest.

_**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Heinous ploughed into him.

Nefarious punched him off.

Heinous found a broken structure with his feet and vaulted off it. While in the air, dragon-like wings emerged from his back, and he flew over a huge pile of metal.

Nefarious hovered after him.

He touched down on the higher level.

He stood on the metal that was used for the base. Fires were still abundant in the wreckage. Large of debris shadowed great distances.

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….

"…………"

……………………………………….a shuffle.

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

He saw green in his peripheral vision. He faced it, gasped, and back-flipped.

BLAAAAAAM!

A green ball of plasma exploded where he was, creating a shockwave.

Nefarious looked up.

Heinous was in midair. His wings flapping against the wind. He was above the crash site. A small breeze kicked at his left side.

"Still afraid of heights, Vince?"

"I was never afraid of heights!" Nefarious shook a fist. "That was just another false rumour you spread. And it wasn't even worth teasing me for!"

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"Just watch me, you prick!.!.!.!.!"

Nefarious hovered up, frowning. He stopped at Heinous' level. Below him stretched nothing but metal for miles, covering the desert's natural sand.

"Just because you can fly," Heinous prepared to attack, "that doesn't mean you can beat me."

"Nnnngh!"

Heinous flapped his wings and soared towards his stepsibling.

Nefarious flew at him in a similar fashion.

They collided.

WHAP!

Nefarious was kicked in the torso.

He flew back, regained his senses just in time to dodge a volley of disks from Heinous' mouth.

TWIIIIIIISH! TWIIIIIIISH! TWIIIIIIISH! TWIIIIIIISH! TWIIIIIIIIISH!

Nefarious moved up, down, left, right, and down again. He flew with a fist.

Heinous bent over and caught it.

"HAAAA!" Nefarious swung a foot at his head.

THWAM!

He missed, hitting the shoulder instead. This caused Heinous to lose his grip.

Heinous' wings flapped madly, to keep him up. He concentrated and--

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

--released a yellow laser from his chest.

Nefarious was already charging a laser of his own.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

He moved for the purple laser that came out of a wormhole.

Yellow met purple.

ZAAAAAAA--FLAAAAAAAA--**_SHHSHHSHSHSHHSHSHSHSHHHS!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

No laser triumphed though, because they caused a small explosion.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Nefarious and Heinous were thrown in opposite directions from the blast.

Nefarious coughed slightly. He kept hovering.

"………"

He saw something.

"………………?"

It looked as if balls of orange smoke were spiralling at him. Nefarious grew uneasy.

The balls grew closer. There were three of them.

Nefarious was still.

And they came in contact with him at once.

POP! POP! POP!

The explosion sent him flying backwards--

CLANGGGGG!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--only to crash back-first into a tall piece of base that must have refused to fall down.

"Ugh," he pulled himself out of the hole he made and rubbed his pointy head. "…………………….!" His eyes widened. "AKK!"

He ducked.

_KLOOOONGGG!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Heinous' fist impaled the wall where Nefarious' head was. He glared down at him. "Quite slippery, are you?"

Nefarious smirked and pulled out a ray gun. "Yup."

Heinous pulled his arm back.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

The winged robot flew to and fro, barely dodging the red and black lasers.

ZAAAA-SCRAPE!

One blast managed to hit the edge of the left wing, barely scorching it.

"WHOA!.!.!.!.!" Heinous screamed.

Nefarious threw a ball of plasma at him.

Heinous gasped and flapped his wings in a certain way so he could move back.

Nefarious' attack fell, where it exploded silently.

SWOOOOOSH!

Heinous flew at him.

Nefarious brought both hands up to absorb the punches. He and Heinous hovered North, arms blurring blue and green either punching or blocking. They kept their eyes locked on one another. The fact that they were robots prevented their optics from showing any emotion other than frowning. Heinous' antennas were bouncing every which way his head went. His wings flapped erratically. Through Nefarious' large head, the gear turned madly, the pump pumped continuously, and the satellite dish made sparks as it spun. His blue arms made a mixture of blue and red as he blocked and blocked and blocked and blocked. Even their legs were working as much as their other limbs; the exact same blurring attacking and blocking.

**WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Heinous managed to land a punch in Nefarious' head.

"Owie!" Nefarious squealed.

GRIP!

Heinous grabbed his arm.

"Ready to give it a wurl, Vince?.!"

"Give what a wurl--?.?.?.?"

**FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW_-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FWOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Heinous spun him like a tornado.

He then let go.

_**TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

And Nefarious flew like a rocket towards the crash site.

Heinous bent his wings back wards and dove after him.

Nefarious slowed his drop--

_WHUMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Heinous crashed into him. He kept both arms on Nefarious' back, preventing him from altering his course.

Nefarious flailed madly. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!.!.!.!.!" Heinous laughed madly.

The ruins got closer and…

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

They crashed on……through everything.

CRAA-AAAA_-AAAA-AA-A-A-AAAAAAA**-AAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

SWOOOOOSH!

Nothing but air.

_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Nefarious landed chest-first. If he hadn't formed a sphere of shield in front of his torso, he would be scrap.

"NNNNNRAAAGH!.!.!.!.!" He reached behind him, grabbed Heinous by the head and threw him over.

WHAM!

Heinous landed upside-down against a flat piece of scrap.

Nefarious stood up.

They were now in a metal 'cave' of sorts. It was hollow and dark. The robots' glowing eyes allowed them to see well. The metal was pure-white like the base's halls. And a few pieces of robots protruded here and here. The two stepsiblings were still standing on metal. The desert's natural and disturbed sand was probably several feet below.

Heinous got up and contracted his wings. He frowned, "Still alive, are you?"

Nefarious readied himself, "I question the word 'alive'."

"Heh, you always hated biology."

"That's not what I meant. I mean we're robots. You copied me a little too much when you transformed yourself and Albert."

"What about you? You intended to jump into that machine."

"That's different."

"Is it though?"

"I'm the way I am, because of you, Jeremy. Everything that has happened was because of you."

"What about when you--?"

"Everything I've done that was evil was because of you, 'brother'! You're fricken' older; you should be more mature!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"What can I say?" Heinous simpered and shrugged. "I felt like it."

"WHY?.! You never told me why you ruined my goddamn childhood!"

"………"

"……………………tell me."

"…………"

"I SAID TELL ME!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"………," Heinous remained silent.

"Hello?.! I'm talking to--!"

"There is no reason……," Heinous said without emotion.

Nefarious was saddened now. "I see."

A beat.

WOOOOOSH!

Two holograms slid Heinous' way.

Heinous back-flipped, dodged the copies, found a flat surface with his feet, and vaulted at Nefarious.

Nefarious ducked.

Heinous flew over him, landed in a handstand behind him, and kicked.

THWAP!

Nefarious fell on his front.

Heinous pushed himself out of his handstand, back-flipped, and prepared to crush his stepbrother with his feet.

Nefarious seemed to have sensed it, because he rolled to the right.

THAP!.!.!.!

Heinous missed. He readied a green plasma bomb.

Nefarious propped himself up with his arms, and kicked outward.

TRIP!

Heinous lost his footing. He fell on his butt and lost control of the bomb.

Nefarious got up and jumped.

BLAAAAAM!

To avoid the wave, Heinous brought both his legs up and somersaulted backwards.

The wave dematerialised.

Nefarious landed and put one hand on the titanium ground.

Yellow and black semi spheres protruded from the ground. They didn't move, but they got bigger. And they were forming a triangle around Heinous.

TSHHHHWW! TSHHHHWW! TSHHHHWW!

A large brown-yellow-black force emerged from each semi sphere as they deflated.

Heinous curled into a ball to protect himself.

The attack ceased.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Heinous ducked and rolled to avoid Nefarious' ray gun fire.

Nefarious jumped, flipped, landed and fired some more.

ZAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Heinous spun around and--

TWIIIIIIIIISH!

--released a sharp disk from his mouth.

Nefarious aimed with one ray gun.

ZAAAAAAAA-BOOOOM!

The disk exploded.

Nefarious continued firing.

Heinous was running at walls, vaulting off them, and shooting more disks.

THUNK! TH-THUNK!

Three imbedded themselves in the titanium at Nefarious' feet. They were ignored until…

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!_

Nefarious' eyes widened. He ceased fire and ran.

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEP!_

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The disks exploded, causing dust to fall and a rumble to be felt.

Heinous landed.

Nefarious charged at him with a fist.

WHAM!

Instead he kicked his stepbrother in the shin.

Heinous hobbled back.

Nefarious threw a punch.

CATCH!

Heinous managed to grab Nefarious' fist again. Instead of punching back or kicking, he attempted hurling him behind.

Nefarious managed to bring his feet to the ground behind his brother. He tried doing what Heinous did but in front.

Heinous was hurled over a green dome. However, he landed on his feet.

"……"

"……"

Instead of using their powers or weapons, they used their bodies.

"GRRRRGH!" Nefarious brought all his claws out.

Heinous leap-frogged over him, and spun with a roundhouse kick.

WHAP!

His leg came in contact with Nefarious' arm. They were both trying to hit each other, but hit each other's………………hits instead.

BONK!

Nefarious head-butted.

"OW!" Heinous teetered back.

**THWAKKKK!.!.!.!.!**

Nefarious high-kicked and upper cut.

Heinous tried regaining his senses.

Nefarious attempted kicking again.

Heinous moved right and dodged. He hurled a green ball of plasma energy.

Nefarious did a limbo.

BLAAAAAM!

The wave caused both of them to fall on their back sides.

Nefarious sunk his claws into the ground, pulled a piece of metal off, and chucked it at Heinous.

The latter--who had gotten up--backhanded it.

"HAAA!" Heinous unleashed yellow.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Nefarious rose to his feet and produced a shield, absorbing every bullet.

Heinous frowned while shooting, "That's cheating!.!.!.!"

"Since when did you ever follow the rules?.!" Nefarious allowed a smirk.

"RAAAAGH!" Heinous ceased fire and used his laser again.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Nefarious deactivated his shield, rolled under it, and came up in a pounce.

Heinous smirked and charged _two_ plasma balls.

Nefarious also charged plasma balls.

CL-CLUTCH!

They were connected at the hand, leaning into one another and trying to overpower. Their wrists, palms, and claws were encased in their and each other's aura of the plasma balls. They strained.

"N-Not bad…..Vince," Heinous managed. "Must have……taken you a while to l-learn…….them."

"I-It did……," Nefarious responded, "…but you're……st-still……getting used to…them."

That said, a new colour was added to the plasma. It looked like dark scarlet smoke. It formed at Nefarious' hands and slowly extended up Heinous' arms. When the smoke reached Heinous' head, it 'popped'.

POP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

"AAAAAAUGH!.!.!" Heinous let go, his plasma balls disappearing. He fell back.

Nefarious smirked, because he was still holding his plasma balls. He threw them.

Heinous' eyes widened.

He reached a blind hand out and aimed up.

RART-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

P-P-P-P-P-P-PING-CRACK!.!.!

A piece of metal fell towards him; he grabbed it and held it over him like a shield.

BLAAAAAM!

The 'shield' shock.

BLAAAAAAM!

The shield cracked.

Heinous threw the melted metal away and picked himself up.

Nefarious raised both his hands, extending a beam upwards. It was a mix of red and purple waves, with a black 'background'. Red and purple 'rings' of energy outlined the tube-like beam. It bent with gravity and came down.

Heinous did something he thought he'd never do.

He ran.

"COWARD!.!.!" Nefarious yelled.

Heinous extended both arms forwards and shot at a wall rapidly with bis favourite attack.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!

The wall dented and broke. Heinous moved forward, shooting, creating a tunnel.

By then, Nefarious' attack missed.

He frowned and went after him.

He was about to reach the tunnel's mouth, when the roof gave way, dropping something large in his path.

Nefarious equipped his ray guns and made his own tunnel.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

The path was long. All Nefarious did for the whole time was shoot continuously. Ammo was not of a concern to him. There wasn't enough room to make a purple laser, and plasma balls would be too dangerous in such a claustrophobic space. His eyes narrowed. He had no idea where he was going. Then, it happened…

A hole.

He could see the light.

Barely.

Nefarious stepped out, still with his ray guns.

He blinked.

He was on the outskirts of the entire remains of the base. There was barely any metal anywhere, other than a few small hunks of it. He took a step forward and his foot touched bare sand. Dust blew from the right in a strong breeze, making things a little hard to see. He walked and soon was completely out of it. Now, Nefarious stood in a desert. A desert of Veldin.

"I wonder…"

"?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?" Nefarious looked where the voice came from.

Heinous stood on higher ground. His tunnel was below him. His face was serious. "Don't you?"

"Don't I what?" Nefarious seethed.

"Wonder how we survived the crash, of course."

"We're robots. What do ya think?"

"Yes, but we survived without a damn scratch. Isn't that uncanny?"

"What are you greeting at?"

"That chemical you made," Heinous said, "……where did you get the stuff for it."

Nefarious' 'eyebrows' rose slightly. "……"

"I became a robot through that chemical. You left remains of it on Planet Magmose."

Nefarious frowned.

"I know I copied you, Vince," Heinous uttered. "I was a bit impulsive when I used it. I never really bothered to check it. Sure, I used Sandy as a test, Albert too, but still…….what _is _it exactly?"

Nefarious' eyes fell.

"Did you use it to make Raxamis too?"

Nefarious spoke, "No. Raxamis was never a squish--organic."

"Then…where did you get it?"

"None of your concern."

Heinous raised a finger. "Now, now, Vince. I won't copy you. After the fight…..when I'd have destroyed you, I'll salvage the remains and start again."

"That's not gonna happen."

"Oh? Listen, brother, organic life forms are a scourge. Albert, Sandy, and I were once those. And so was the whole race of Aradia. They invented robots to do their bidding, but made them too intelligent. They should pay by becoming them."

"How can they pay if the Biobliterator II is destroyed? Build a Biobliterator III?.?.?.?"

Heinous growled.

"Face it, _Jeremiah_, you lost."

"I never lose."

"The organics will prosper."

"'Prosper'? HA!" Heinous pointed. "The times with the Q-Force has made you soft."

"And yet, you ran away."

"I was louring you into a trap!"

"What trap?"

"…………nnnnnghh!" Heinous clenched his fists.

Nefarious smirked.

Heinous had an idea. "I know what we should do. How about we forget our times of differences and team up?"

"'Team up'?"

"Yup, team up. How about it?"

"Let me see…," Nefarious pretended to think.

Heinous squinted.

"I say NO!" Nefarious waved a hand. "You really are a dick, aren't you?"

"?"

"You just said that there was no reason! Not even three fricken minutes ago! You never keep your word! You've offered a truce before, yes. But did you keep your word?.! NO!.!.!.!.! I'll never trust you again, Jeremy! You hear me?.! NEVER!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous was silent for a while. Then, "So be it."

He jumped and landed in the sand.

Nefarious wasted no time.

WOOOOOSH!

He sent a hologram of himself.

Heinous swiftly avoided it by side-stepping. He then charged.

Nefarious chucked a plasma ball.

Heinous jumped and flipped.

BLAAAAAAAM!

While in the air, he 'vomited' disks.

TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIIISH!

Nefarious ran under him, doing a roll.

Heinous twirled himself so he was upside down. He kept firing disks, even when he landed in a handstand.

Nefarious avoided them by jumping up high, concentrating in midair, and unleashing a hoard of missiles.

They flew everywhere within a twenty foot radius.

Heinous pushed himself from his handstand, landed on his feet, and back-flipped toward his brother while dodging.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOOOM-BOOM-B-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

WHAP!

Heinous' feet struck Nefarious' blocking arms in an 'X' shape.

He immediately pushed off, made his wings emerge from his back, and flew.

For some reason, Nefarious didn't fly. Instead, he created scarlet clouds of dust. Unfortunately, these attacks were blown away by the wind. Instead, Nefarious waited for attacks. A he got them.

FLAAAAAAAAAASH!

Yellow laser beams came at him.

He jumped far and landed above the tunnels.

Ahead of him, he saw something that might have been useful. So, he ran.

"LOOK WHOSE RUNNING NOW!.!.!.!" Heinous yelled as he shot more and more.

Nefarious reached what he wanted. He grabbed it, held it under his arm, and pulled at a wire in the back.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Bright blue laser fire was ejected from the robot arm's many barrels. Nefarious tugged at one of the many wires sticking out from the end that should have connected with a shoulder.

Heinous allowed his wings to return to his back, know in that he'd be more manoeuvrable on the ground. He jumped dodged, jumped, rolled, side-stepped, cart wheeled, and flipped--

THWAKKKKKKKK!

Heinous gasped.

Nefarious grinned.

Heinous had been struck in the left leg. He was alright, but a tiny piece of metal was chipped off, exposing a tiny bit of wire.

"You're gonna regret that."

"I hope you regret all the bad things you're--!"

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

Heinous blurred.

THWAM!

He knocked the big robot arm away.

He punched his brother

WHAP-THWAP-SLAP-SMACK-THWAP-WHACK-POW!.!.!.!.!.!

Nefarious took every blow. He stepped back, several parts of him being hit.

Suddenly--

SWIIIIIISH!

WHAM!

"AAAAAAGH!" Heinous was hit by something that came out of nowhere. Something pink. CRASH! "OOOF!" he hit another out-of-place wall a few feet away. He slumped, gasping, "What the Hell?.?.?.?.?.?.?"

Nefarious wearily looked in the direction from where the pink came from.

Nothing, save for flying sand.

"…"

"…."

Then--

FLASH!

A glint of orange.

Both robots looked.

FLASH!

A bright pink blast flew, distracting them.

Heinous backhanded it before he could be hit. He stood up and growled, "What's going on?.!"

Nefarious was silent.

"Are you behind this, Vince?.!.?.!"

"No….I'm not," Nefarious uttered.

"Nrrraugh! I don't believe you!" Heinous prepared to shoot yellow lead.

FLASH!

Behind him.

WHAPP!

He was kicked in the back.

FLASH!

Whoever it was, Nefarious didn't see it, because his angry brother was blocking his view.

Heinous whipped around and saw nothing.

He panted.

"What's going on, Vince?"

"I dunno. I'm as confused as you are."

"Don't give me that crap! You're behind this, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Says you!"

WHUMP!

Heinous crashed into Nefarious.

They became a rolling ball of childish punches and kicks. Annoyed and angry grunts were exchanged as the 'ball' rolled into the wreckage. It plummeted over edges, went up 'hills' of metal, travelled in and out of holes, bounced here and there, and 'broke' after a long drop.

Nefarious and Heinous flew in opposite directions.

CR-CRASH!

"OOF!" "OWIE!"

Heinous was the first to get up. He rubbed his head with a groan.

Now, him and his brother where in a clearing of sorts. The edges were lined with sand that was blown by the increasing wind.

He was about to step for a fourth time when--

FLASH!

Behind him.

"HAA!" Heinous spun around and flung a green plasma ball.

BLAAAAAM!

He hit nothing.

SWIIIIIIISH!

His antennas perked up. He ducked.

Something that was spinning flew over him and hit the ground, disturbing some sand.

Heinous looked where it came from.

Nothing.

He looked somewhere else.

Nefarious had just gotten up.

Heinous snarled.

THWUMP!

Another pink blast hit him in his side.

He fell on his side.

"Nnnnnghhh!" he stood up in a flash. "Show yourself!"

Nefarious looked around curiously.

………

"I said show yourself!.!.!"

It was unmistakable that Heinous assumed Nefarious wasn't behind this.

"Come out!.!.!.!.!"

…………

FLASH!

TRIP!

Heinous was tripped by a sweeping leg.

He fell on his arms.

FLASH!

For but a second a figure dropped down at him from above, flinging a spinning pink projectile. For but a second……

Heinous rolled.

He stood up.

He waited.

"……"

Silence.

Nefarious stared, "……"

FLASH!

"YAH!" Heinous spun-kicked.

WHOOOSH!

He hit nothing, because the figure was crouching.

It grabbed Heinous by the legs and flipped him over.

FLASH!

The figure disappeared.

Heinous landed in another handstand.

FLASH!

The figure squatted right next to him.

Before it punched him in the face, a pair of golden eyes could be seen.

WHACK!

FLASH!

"Ugh!" Heinous landed on his 'stomach'.

He knew who it was.

"Had enough?" a female voice asked.

Heinous slowly got to his feet. He looked at the location of the voice "Guess Vince and I weren't the only ones to survive."

"No, you weren't," Courtney said. She leaned against a wall with a smirk. "It was hard pinpointing Nefarious' location, cuz his communicator was damaged, but--in the end--we found him."

"'We'?" Heinous asked.

FLASH! "Hello, Dr. Heinous."

Heinous sighed. "Oh….it's you…"

"I'm afraid it is," Lawrence said with his arms behind his back.

"Anyone else?" Heinous asked.

"Nope," Courtney stud up straight and walked in Nefarious' direction. "We landed with Qwark, Jack, and Skrunch. They're okay, but we went on without them. The shuttle was junked. Thanks to Lawrence's teleportation, we managed to get here in record time."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance, Miss. Courtney," Lawrence also went on nefarious' direction.

"Great," Heinous rolled his yellow eyes. "Qwark is on his way here, along with his monkey and some guy named 'Jack'. No doubt Ratchet and Clank too."

Courtney and Lawrence stopped and stood on either side of Nefarious.

"Come on, sir," Lawrence said, "you wanted to defeat your brother for decades. Let's do it together, I suggest."

Nefarious was at a loss of words.

"C'mon," Courtney urged and tugged his arm gently.

Nefarious finally smirked. "Heh, guess I won't be the only one kicking ass today."

Courtney giggled.

Lawrence straightened his bowtie.

"You think you can beat me?.!" Heinous growled. "I can take the lot of you!"

Everyone then grew serious.

Nefarious equipped his ray guns.

Courtney prepared to throw a spinning projectile.

Lawrence prepared to teleport.

And Heinous got ready to shoot.

"….."

"….."

"…."

"…."

A beat.

They attacked.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

SWIIIIIISH! SWIIIIISH! SWIIIIISH! SWIIIISH!

FLASH!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

* * *

Almost done with this thing! 


	46. Final battle Part 2

**Chapter Forty-six: Final battle Part 2**

Heinous side-stepped while firing.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

The laser fire and spinning projectiles that were thrown at him missed.

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared at a safe distance. He kept his finger on the trigger, encase someone would need him.

Courtney side-flipped over the bullets that were thrown at her.

Nefarious went straight at his stepbrother hurling plasma balls.

Heinous jumped forward, dodged the plasma balls, went over Nefarious--

WHAP!

--vaulted off his back, rolled, leapt, grabbed Courtney by the arm, and prepared to throw her.

FLASH!

She disappeared.

Heinous blinked for a few seconds.

WHAM!

He was kicked in the back by Nefarious.

"OOF!" Heinous stumbled forward.

FLASH!

He ran on all fours, dodged Courtney's attack, jumped, found a metal structure with his feet, pushed off, and did something new. While he flew over Nefarious and Courtney, his three antennas began glowing. The glowing intensified and from the antennas that replaced his ears, blue bolts of electricity shot out and came to the antenna on the top of the cranium. The redness in the higher antenna produced a beam. It was pure red with a few blue highlights.

_ZAAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Nefarious and Courtney separated as the beam struck ground.

CRUNCH!

The metal floor was dented.

Heinous grinned as he landed.

Courtney's arms rose.

"Oh no, you don't!" Heinous opened his mouth.

TWIIIIIIIIIISH!

A disk flew.

Suddenly--

FLASH!

Heinous blinked. He was in a different place. And the disk he just launched was heading straight for him. His eyes bulged and he brought his arms up.

CLANK!

The disk bounced off him.

Heinous' antennas pulsed. He spun around and blocked Courtney's attempted roundhouse kick.

Her yellow eyes widened.

His yellow eyes narrowed.

WHAM!

He upper cut her with a high kick.

"Ugh," Courtney teetered back.

Nefarious approached from behind with a plasma bomb.

Heinous sensed it. He ran, grabbed Courtney by her sides and threw her at Nefarious.

FLASH!

She disappeared, diving Nefarious a clear path to--

"NAAAAAAGH!"

--throw the bomb.

BLAAAAAAAAAAM!

Heinous jumped back.

FLASH!

Courtney was suddenly to his right.

He brought her hands up and created a red wave.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!

Heinous jumped again.

"HAAAA!"

WOOOOSH!

A hologram came his way.

He side-stepped.

Courtney and Nefarious attacked him from both sides.

Heinous grabbed Nefarious' face, looked behind him and rose his foot.

THWAM!

Courtney was kicked in the abdomen.

Heinous turned his attention to his brother.

Nefarious clawed and managed to get free. He pulled out his ray guns.

"I'm really getting sick of those weapons!" Heinous barked.

"Then hold still, so you won't be sick of them anymore!" Nefarious retorted.

Nefarious aimed.

THWAP!

Heinous high-kicked.

Nefarious managed to keep his hold on the weapons. He gasped and brought them in front of his face.

KLONK!

Heinous' fist was blocked.

Nefarious swung his foot out.

CATCH!

Heinous caught it.

Nefarious fired randomly.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Heinous tilted his head in every direction possible.

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Courtney ducked in mid-run. Nefarious' laser fire missed her silver head by millimetres.

Heinous pushed Nefarious' leg up.

Nefarious hopped back, nearly losing his balance.

WHACK!

Heinous was punched upside the head.

He bowed down, growled, and sliced back.

Courtney arched her front and dodged the blow. Heinous stood, spun, and hurled a plasma ball.

"Whoa!" Courtney ducked.

BLAAAAM!

The bomb exploded where its force was out of range.

Nefarious returned with a flying punch.

Heinous gasped and ducked.

"!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious stopped. He almost punched Courtney in the face. "……."

"….," Courtney stared.

A beat.

"Eh heh heh heh heh."

"Heh."

They chuckled nervously.

They forgot that Heinous was squatting beneath them.

SWOOOSH-BONK!

He head-butted Nefarious in the chin, facing Courtney, "Mind if I cut in?"

Nefarious growled and sliced.

Heinous jumped, performed a split and hit both of them in their torsos.

TH-THWAP!

"OW!" "OOF!"

FL-FLASH!.!

They both disappeared.

Heinous frowned.

His he wanted to win, he'd have to separate them.

His wings came out from his back. He flew high and out of the clearing.

It became evident to him that it was getting dark. The sun was in the middle of setting, and the wind was blowing harder. Dust and sand flew in the same direction.

Heinous didn't care. He glided, his wings contracted, and he landed on higher ground.

However, this ground was more jagged and hazardous. Metal protruded everywhere, making navigation difficult. What was also uninviting was a long drop into darkness.

Heinous smirked. At that point, he was on a 'branch' of metal.

Pl-Plant.

Heinous sighed and turned his head a little.

Nefarious glared at him, keeping balance on another 'branch'.

FLASH!

Courtney appeared in midair next to him. He fell, grabbed a pole with both hands, swung twice, let go at the right time, flipped, and landed gracefully on the cylindrical structure.

FLASH!

Lawrence himself appeared higher up. He didn't need to keep balance there, because he was on a flat surface.

"….."

"…."

"…."

"…."

They stared.

The wind howled.

Sand and dust flew.

The sun set.

"Still trying to stop me?" Heinous asked.

"I never try…," Nefarious growled.

"Think you can beat us when you're outnumbered three to one?" Courtney taunted.

"I won't be outnumbered for long," Heinous said, "cuz I just remembered something." He pulled out a communicator. "Ahem. Albert, Raxamis, Sandy come in."

…………………………………………….

No reply.

Heinous blinked, "Uh….."

Nefarious smirked smugly.

"This is Dr. Heinous. Report!"

…………………………………………………………………

Still no reply.

Heinous would have sweated if he could.

Courtney put her hands on her hips confidently.

"HELLO?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.! THIS IS DR. HEINOUS ANSWER ME IF YOU CAN!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

…………………………………………………………………………………

Lawrence watched silently.

Heinous 'gulped'.

"Y'see?" Nefarious gestured. "You're all alone here. Despite your fetish with _my_ chemical, Sandy and Albert haven't answered."

"It means nothing!" Heinous growled. "It could be a bad connection with all this weather and all."

"Uh uh uh," Courtney shook a silver finger.

Heinous lost a lot of confidence then.

"Face it, Jeremy," Nefarious said, "…….you've lost."

"NO, I HAVEN'T! HRUUUUUAGH!.!.!.!.!"

Heinous extended one arm and released orange balls of smoke. Three of them.

"Look out!" Nefarious yelled as he jumped and hovered.

Courtney hopped from where she was and landed on another 'branch'.

Lawrence just teleported. FLASH!

Nefarious summoned his shield.

POP!

The smoke ball exploded, unleashing no damage.

Courtney jumped, kicked off a wall, and landed on a higher beam.

The smoke ball chasing her attempted to turn, but wasn't sharp enough at such a task…..and exploded.

POP!

Courtney sighed.

The ball that was meant for Lawrence went too high and was taken by the wind.

Courtney landed next to Nefarious.

FLASH!

Lawrence appeared some feet away.

"Where's Heinous?" Courtney asked.

Nefarious looked. Heinous wasn't where he was.

"There," Lawrence pointed.

Nefarious and Courtney looked.

The 'forest' of metal 'branches' stretched into a visible canyon of wreckage. A green blur could be seen, hopping. Heinous.

"Go!" Nefarious pointed.

FLASH!

Courtney hopped like Heinous.

Nefarious flew, trying to go as far as possible without having to hop because of the narrowness.

Lawrence teleported short distances, trying to keep safe.

Up ahead, Heinous barked into his communicator.

"This is Heinous. Albert, I demand you reply! Raxamis……..Big R. Sandy!... Calling the Fearsome Four! Fearsome Four members, do you read me?.!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Heinous panted and put the communicator away. He noticed that the canyon was getting narrower. He jumped left and right, trying to get through. He could have flown, but he had a plan………..which was going to happen at that moment.

Heinous fell on purpose, reached out, and caught hold of the bottommost 'branch'. He turned around and hung like a monkey for a while. He waited.

Lawrence was nowhere to be seen, Nefarious was hovering instead of flying, and Courtney was jumping ahead of the group.

Heinous grinned. "HAAA!"

He threw a plasma ball.

"WHOA!" Courtney stopped herself before she would jump in the path of Heinous' attack. It flew vertically up and hit a vulnerable part.

BLAAAAAAM!

One explosion triggered an 'avalanche' of--yes--metal.

BONK!

Courtney was conked on the head, causing her to lose balance. She fell, screaming.

Heinous smirked and let go. He fell along with her.

The 'canyon' was so narrow, that the way down was blocked off. Courtney and Heinous couldn't be reached.

Nefarious frowned. He turned to Lawrence, who had just teleported on the blockage, "Get us through!"

"It'll be difficult, sir," Lawrence said, "because--"

"Aww, never mind!" Nefarious began throwing plasma balls.

BLAAAAM! BLAAAAAAM! BLAAAAM!

* * *

Courtney stirred awake. 

"……"

She had been out of commission for about ten seconds.

She stood up and observed her surroundings.

She was in a hollow room of sorts. As usual, pieces of metal debris were scattered everywhere around the rather small place. It wasn't neatly either; the walls were jagged and out of place.

A bat.

**TWOOOOSH_-KICK!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Heinous flew and kicked her in the back. Luckily, he didn't hit the part that was injured by Raxamis.

"Ugh!' she stumbled forward.

"Hello, Courtney," Heinous said.

Courtney frowned at him, "Hi."

"Things wouldn't have turned out this way if you stood by my side," Heinous said as he paced around her with his arms behind his back. "You still could be on my side, y'know."

"You can take your offer and stick it up you--"

"Stupid girl!" Heinous swiped at her with his claws from in front.

Courtney back-flipped.

Heinous didn't stop swiping.

Courtney was coming to a wall. At the right time, she back-flipped again, found the wall with her feet, placed her hands on Heinous'--who was also close to the wall--shoulders, flipped over him, and--instead of landing on her feet--pushed him into the wall with her platforms.

WHUMP!

Heinous hit the wall.

SWIIIIISH!

He frowned and ducked, dodging Courtney's attack.

He spun around, punched his hand into the ground, and created a boucing energy ball.

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!**

Courtney side-rolled before she could be squished.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

He unleashed pink and--

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUM!

--a red plasma wave.

Heinous side-stepped and jumped. Upon landing, he 'vomited' disks.

TWIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIISH!

Courtney rolled under them.

Heinous ran, grabbed her by the arm before she could get up, and swung her into a wall.

SMASH!

Courtney created a crater. She groaned.

Heinous walked up to her with a smirk.

Courtney strained, pointed one hand forward, and shot bright pink.

FLASH!

Heinous was too close to dodge.

WHAP! "OOF!"

He fell on his back.

Courtney 'escaped' the hole she made, jumped and came down at Heinous like Ratchet doing a hyper-strike……except she was wielding two spinning projectiles in her hands that she hadn't released.

C-CLUTCH!.!

Heinous caught the 'buzz saws' in both hands. Courtney was on top of him awkwardly, leaning closer to his face, trying to cut him in two, three or four.

Heinous strained as sparks flew.

Courtney applied more pressure.

"Don't make…….this mistake, ……..Courtney," Heinous wheezed, 'you can……….still come with me."

"Never," Courtney gritted her teeth.

"What's……so……great about Vince? Please…….don't tell…….me………….you….like him."

"None of you………..business……..!"

"Fine then. Be that……way," Heinous opined his mouth.

Courtney gasped as she remembered.

TWIIIIIIIIIIISH!

A disk flew.

Courtney darted her head right.

CIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!

"AAAAAAAGH!" She fell back, losing control of her pink 'saws'.

Heinous stood up.

Courtney clutched her face as she kneeled down.

"This is the path you chose………..," Heinous uttered. His palms 'opened'. Courtney didn't show her features. Heinous extended his arm. "Now, you'll live with it." He was about to shoot when--

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

--an enormous explosion took place on the other side of the room. Pieces of metal flew everywhere. A figure emerged. It wasn't Nefarious. It wasn't Lawrence. It had white skin, blue pants, matching blue eyes--three of them--and was wielding a Nitro Eruptor.

"You," Heinous scoffed.

"Me," Slim said.

Courtney suddenly didn't exist.

Heinous walked towards the tyhrranoid, "You walked?"

"I ran," Slim corrected.

"Impressive," Heinous allowed a slight smile. "I guess I didn't go completely wrong. The only mistake was that I made you too intelligent."

Slim shrugged.

"How did you know I was _here_?"

"Courtney has a communicator with her. I just followed the signal."

"………………………………………………oh."

"…"

Heinous then frowned. "I never did put your talents to the test."

"Now's your chance then," Slim said.

"I couldn't agree more."

'_I need to get him outta here,'_ Slim thought. _'Courtney seems as if she can't fight.'_

"NNNNRRRAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!" Heinous 'tensed'.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!

Slim effortlessly ducked the yellow laser blast and ran through the hole he made.

Heinous grinned, knowing why Slim ran, and chased after him.

Courtney was left alone.

She clutched her face, now weeping.

FL-FLASH!

Lawrence and Nefarious appeared a few feet away from her in a flash of yellow.

"I don't think your brother is here, sir," Lawrence stated.

"What's it look like?.!" Nefarious gestured. "He must have chickened--!" he stopped when he noticed Courtney on her knees.

Lawrence noticed too.

"Courtney?" Nefarious called gently as he approached her. He reached to touch her shoulder when Courtney batted it away with one hand as she covered her face with the other.

"No!" he voice was slightly muffled. "Heinous! Get him!"

"What happened?"

"Jack…….. He's here. Go and help him."

"What about you?"

"I'll catch up."

Nefarious didn't move.

"Go!" Courtney was a bit louder.

Nefarious turned to Lawrence, "You heard her."

The butler nodded. "Should I go ahead, sir?"

"Yeah, but only assist Jack if he needs it."

"I'll do that."

FLASH!

And he was gone.

Nefarious took one last look at Courtney before sighing and running out the hole.

Courtney removed her hands from her face when she was sure Nefarious was gone.

"………."

She stood up and slowly walked to the hole.

* * *

Slim ran ahead of Heinous. He was outside, still on the remains of the base. The wind blew, making his three eyes lean slightly to the left. He darted round obstacles, shooting missiles behind him with a Decimator. One eye looked at the one following him. 

Heinous was flying. His wings flapped, folded, or straightened, as he avoided each projectile. He was firing smoke balls.

Slim blurred faster as he neared a 'hill' of metal. He ran up easily. He then saw a bridge. Not just any bridge. This one was extremely narrow, formed of beams. It was too wide for Grindboots though. They would reach metal 'stacks' before continuing.

In other words, it was like a zigzagged tightrope with many checkpoints.

It would take an enormous amount of balance to traverse the rails without falling off.

And balance is something Slim had.

He ran, keeping his feet at a steady pace. He put one exactly in front of the other.

Heinous flew over/beside/under him, attacking.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

**P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-PINGGG!.!.!.!.!.!**

Pieces of the narrow beams fell below.

Heinous flew over Slim. He frowned as he faced down. "How about we call a truce?"

Slim glared at him with his middle eye as the rest guided him around sharp turns, "I bet you asked that to the others!"

"I did not!"

"Yeah, you did, cuz you know you're gonna lose!"

"SHUT UP!.!.!.!.!.!"

Heinous flung plasma balls.

BLAAAAM! BLAAAAAM! BLAAAAAAM! BLAAAAAAM!

They were useless for Slim.

Heinous frowned and fired ahead.

TWIIIISH! TWIIIISH! TWIIIIISH!

The disks flew towards a part Slim hadn't reached yet.

**SL_-SL-SLIIIIICE!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

A large chunk of metal fell of, creating a gap.

Slim knew that he could jump that far. And he did.

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

He continued blurring.

Heinous was about to attack, when--

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

--a laser cut him off.

"DAHH!.!.!" Heinous arched back, barely dodging Nefarious' attack.

Nefarious himself was hovering up to him, frowning.

Heinous forgot all about Slim. "Nnnnnngh!.!.!"

SWIPE!

Nefarious ducked his stepsibling's right hook, lowered in midair, reverse-flipped, and hit Heinous in the chin.

WHAP!

Heinous teetered. He growled and punched.

Nefarious blocked, but--

WHACK!

--was hit in the face by the other limb.

"UGH!' Nefarious was inattentive for a second, giving Heinous an opportunity.

**WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH_-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

Every punch and kick wasn't a miss. Heinous managed to hit almost every piece of Nefarious' front. Nefarious was unable to block as more and more fists were shoved at his face.

Heinous grinned, "See now, Vince? SEE NOW, VINCE?.!.?.!.?.! I'M THE BETTER BROTHER AND I ALWAYS WI--!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOM-**POWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!.!.!.!.!.!**

Heinous was cut off as a missile flew out of nowhere and exploded on his left wing. The entire appendage was blown to pieces. Only a smoking piece of metal was left attached to his back.

"!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Heinous' one wing flapped futilely as he tried to stay in the air. He went down, screaming, "NOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

Nefarious continued hovering, amused. He looked right and saw Slim with a Megarocket Cannon giving a thumb's up. Nefarious returned the gesture.

_CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Heinous formed a groove in the metal…..and didn't stop there. He continued scraping along until he collided with a wall.

THWAP!

Heinous pulled himself up, and shook his head, small fragments of steel, falling about. He turned around wearily. A beat. His eyes winded.

He flattened himself against the disturbed metal, allowing a missile to fly over him and--

**POWWWWWWWW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

--destroy the wall he crashed into, exposing the windy desert.

Heinous slowly stood up again and frowned.

Slim and Nefarious stood a few feet away from him, smirking and frowning.

Heinous noticed his right wing was still out. He contracted that and the left stub. He yelled, "Do you know how long it will take to fix that?.!.?.!"

"Never," Slim said, "cuz you're not gonna get a chance to."

"Yeah!" Nefarious agreed.

"I'll show you!" Heinous' palms shined yellow. "The wing is hardly considered a handicap!.!.!.!.!"

"Bring it on," Nefarious gave the 'bring it' hand gesture.

"Nnnnraa-aaaaaaaagh!" RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Bullets flew.

FWOOOOSH!

Slim blurred to the right.

Nefarious jumped to the left.

Heinous chose the latter.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Nefarious jumped and hovered.

WHOOOOSH!

Slim came at Heinous from the right, with a sailing fist.

WHAP!

Heinous blocked the shorter one with one forearm and kicked outward.

Slim pulled his fist back, and side-stepped.

TWIIISH!

Heinous fired a disk.

CLANK!

It bounced off Slim's suddenly equipped Mini-Nuke.

The tyhrranoid's left eye noticed something above. Instead of using the large gun, Slim ran away, dodging a plasma ball that was sent at him.

BLAAAAAM!

The ball obviously hit nothing.

Heinous soon found out why Slim fled.

Missiles flew from Nefarious' wormhole.

Heinous readied himself.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

A lot of projectiles were terribly off target. Others, however, weren't.

Heinous, jumped back, rolled to the side, high-jumped, back-flipped, and cart-wheeled.

One missile was left.

Heinous caught it in his hand, back-somersaulted with the momentum, had his back arched, completed a three-sixty vertical flip, and let go.

The missile headed for Nefarious.

"!" the robot composed a shield around himself.

KAAA-POWWWWW!.!.!.!.!.!.!

The force of the explosion against artificial energy caused Nefarious to fly out of range.

TWOOOOSH!

Slim was back, firing his Mini-Nuke.

Heinous hurled smoke balls, interrupting the bombs' courses.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!

They exploded in the air.

Slim switched his Mini-Nuke with a different weapon. It was another glove. This one shined green as the tyhrranoid flung a bolo.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!.!.!.!.!

The two balls connected by a rope spun through the sandy air, and brought Heinous' legs together.

THAP!.!.!

He fell on his side, struggling.

Slim smirked and dashed with a Walloper.

While he tried to free himself, Heinous expelled explosive disks.

TWIIISH! TWIIISH! TWIIISH! TWIIISH! TWIIISH! TWIIIIISH!

They landed in Slim's path and exploded instantly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"WHOA!" Slim was knocked back.

RIIIP!

Heinous managed to rip through the rope with his claws.

SHOOOOOM!

And Slim was attacking.

"HIIIYAH!" Heinous swiped.

Slim effortlessly ducked and ended up behind the robot.

Heinous back-kicked.

BLOCK! Slim…………blocked.

He rolled under Heinous and aimed between his legs.

WHAM!

He was kicked in the side by the leg he blocked.

He skidded across the metal, barely taking damage.

Heinous grinned as he aimed his glowing chest down.

Now, Slim could have evaded the attack easily. In fact, he was about to, but……

"RAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious returned, diving at Heinous' back, claws outstretched.

Heinous clenched his jaw, turned halfway, crabbed his stepbrother by the arm, and flung him over, sending him towards a still-stationary Slim.

Lucky, Slim noticed. His eyes widened. He held his breath and rolled to the side.

WHAPP!.!.!.!.!

Nefarious landed back-first, his pointy head in Heinous' direction.

Heinous brought both fists down.

"Nnnn-nnaaaaghh!" Nefarious bent his legs as if he was going to summersault backwards. He didn't though. Instead, he kicked Heinous' hands away.

THWAP!

Heinous stumbled backwards.

_SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!_

Slim blurred around them in a tornado formation Shock Cannon.

BLAM!

He fired.

Heinous jumped the blueness and landed in the same spot.

KLONK!

He was upper cut by Nefarious.

Heinous rubbed his chin.

Slim fired at him while Nefarious stood back.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

* * *

Elsewhere…… 

Lawrence watched the fight from a safe distance. He was safe from any attacks, because he was several feet above.

"……."

The sand kicked at his cranium as the sun finally set. His eyes formed flashlights. He saw two yellow beams and two red beams dancing around at the location of the fight. He could also see a small glowing blur of silver along with the blue of Shock Cannon Blasts.

"……"

A shuffling of feet behind him.

Lawrence turned around, expecting to see an enemy. Instead, he saw Courtney, her left eye gouged out by one of Heinous' disks. There were cracks from the wound that covered almost half of the ex-pop star's silver face. Her right eye….her right half was fine though. In fact, her good eye was like the others; providing a 'flashlight' to see as the night grew older.

Lawrence 'gasped'. "Miss Courtney!" he ran to her. "Are you in need of assi--?"

"I'm fine, Lawrence," Courtney interrupted. She half-limped to the edge of the metal cliff and watched the fight bellow.

Lawrence calmed down a bit. He stepped and stopped by her side.

"……"

"……"

The two didn't speak.

"…."

"….."

Lawrence then spoke.

"Are you going to help them?" Lawrence asked, looking in Courtney's direction.

Her chrome-brown hair fluttered in the strong wind. She didn't look, but she answered, "No."

"Oh," Lawrence looked back at the fight, not wanting to ask why.

But Courtney answered the unasked question, "The disk is messing with my C.P.U. I can't fight or do anything well with this in my skull."

"Might I consider removing it for you? I am qualified."

"No. Not now."

"I see."

They looked at the blue, yellow, silver, and red.

"……"

"……"

They saw something else beyond the brawl. It was a small, green glow, moving through the sandy desert as it got closer.

"It looks as if he's finally here," Lawrence uttered.

"Yes, he is," Courtney replied.

* * *

Slim used his Tesla Claw. 

ZAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAA-AAAAAAAA-AAAP!.!.!.!

Heinous swiftly avoided the electricity that was thrown at him. He hurled a plasma ball.

Slim strafed out of range.

BLAAAAM!

WOOOOOOOSH!

Nefarious used holograms from a few feet away.

Heinous side-flipped, stopped himself with an outstretched hand, balanced, and--

**CLINK!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

--hit Slim in the blocking Tesla Claw.

The tyhrranoid fell purposely on his back, and kicked back to his feet. However, he didn't land on his feet; he managed to strike Heinous' face…….as intended.

"UGH!" Heinous staggered back, came to his senses, and ran to avoid Nefarious' purple laser.

_**ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Meanwhile, Nefarious had landed and was already shooting in Heinous' direction.

ZAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAP!

Heinous jumped, vaulted off a block of metal, and came at Nefarious with a flying kick.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Slim was suddenly in the way.

Heinous adapted and used the tyhrranoid as a stepping stone.

NOW, he was at Nefarious, who had ceased fire.

KICK!.!.!.!

Heinous kicked him in the chest.

"OOF!" Nefarious crashed on his back.

Heinous landed safely.

PHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!

A missile flew at him from the side.

"RRRRaaaaaaaAAAAGH!.!.!.!" Heinous punched the projectile with a plasma ball-energised fist.

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

The missile's course was altered by a one-eighty horizontal turn. Singing Heinous a little, it sped towards Slim.

**KA-BOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!**

Instead of hitting the tyhrranoid directly, the explosion took place a few inches away.

"Waaaaaah!" Slim went flying from the force. The strong wind slightly made him turn.

WHMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous was on Nefarious.

Nefarious reached out, grabbed a long piece of metal and swung.

GRIP-SNATCH!

Heinous snatched the bludgeon out of his hand, brought it up with his own hands, and attempted to impale his stepsibling in the dome.

Nefarious tilted his head dramatically.

SLONK!.!.!

Heinous missed and impaled the ground instead.

SLAP!

Nefarious bitch-slapped him…

**S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SLAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Nefarious used just one hand. The other charge blue.

Heinous moved backwards and was soon standing up. Nefarious also stood up and didn't stop slapping.

"How do you like that?.!.?.!.?.!" Nefarious screamed with a grin. "C'mon, you can do better than that. Show me what you can do--!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

CLUTCH!

Heinous caught Nefarious' hand.

The latter panicked and punched with the charge fist.

Heinous did the same.

POWWWWWWW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Their fists opened and grabbed each other. Their other hands were forgotten at the moment. The two robots stared angrily at one another.

BONK!.!.!.!

Nefarious was head-butted by Heinous. The former lost control and was hit badly.

_POW-**BLAAAAAAAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Nefarious howled as he was sent flying back.

WHAM!

He struck a wall, groaned, and slumped.

Heinous ploughed his fist in the ground, released energy, and created a bouncing ball of destruction.

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!**

Nefarious was powerless, and Slim wasn't back yet.

SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!.!.!.!.!

A missile soared out of nowhere and struck the ball, creating another explosion.

KAAAAAA-_BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

The area was illuminated by the blast. Dust flew.

Both robots looked.

They saw the wielder of the Devastator.

"Oh no!" Heinous ran a hand down his face. "Not you!"

"Yes, it is I!"

"Oh no!" Nefarious ran a hand down his face. "Not you!"

"Hey, we're on the same side, Nefarious!.!.!"

"So?.! That doesn't mean I like you!.!.!"

"Whatever," Qwark said. Skrunch was positioned on his left shoulder, his cycloptic eye glaring. Qwark himself stood as proud as ever. The logon on his costume was glowing. He wielded a Devastator under his right arm.

SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!

And that was when Slim arrived. He stopped by Qwark's side with a smirk.

"This is getting ridiculous," Heinous grumbled.

"That's cuz you're gonna lose this battle," Slim spoke as he equipped a R.Y.N.O II.

"Give up, Heinous," Qwark said 'heroically', "and we'll go easy one you."

"I NEVER give up a fight, squishy!.!.!" Heinous boiled.

"That's true," Nefarious said as he sauntered to the others, "because you always pick on the younger." He unfolded his arms with his usual ray guns.

"THAT'S IT!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous charged.

So did the others.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

PHWOOOOOOOOOOOM!

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

* * *

In the next chapter, there won't just be fighting. 


	47. Final battle Part 3

This is gonna be a hard one…

* * *

**Chapter Forty-seven: Final battle Part 3**

FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Naturally, it was Slim who took the lead while Nefarious and Qwark were careful not to hit him. He used a R.Y.N.O. II.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BLAM!

Heinous stopped firing yellow with one hand and produced a 'wall' of orange smoke, obscuring his view.

A beat.

WHOOOOSH-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!.!.!.!

Heinous jumped through the wall--for some reason, he wasn't damaged--and reached a claw out for Slim.

The tyhrranoid blocked with his gun--THWUP!--only to be kicked, tripped, grabbed, and thrown at Qwark.

The costumed hero ducked, allowing Slim to fly over him and land on his feet.

Nefarious ran, stopped, and produced a hologram.

WOOOOSH!

Heinous side-rolled.

WHOOOOSH!

Slim was suddenly behind him.

Heinous gasped.

THWAP!

Slim jumped and kicked him in the head.

Heinous stumbled forward.

"RRRrrrraaaaa-AAAGH!" Qwark ran with a fist, Skrunch holding onto his shoulder tightly.

GRIP!

Heinous caught it, regaining his balance.

Qwark swung the butt of his borrowed Devastator at his face.

Heinous jerked down, letting go of the massive fist. While in a squat, he balanced on one heel and spun-kicked.

WHAP! Qwark was tripped. He fell with Skrunch on tow.

BONK!

The Devastator fell on his head.

Heinous smirked and prepared to make Qwark's head explode.

_WHAM!.!.!_

Nefarious ploughed into him from the side.

They landed with Nefarious on top. Heinous kicked him off, and rolled to the side, dodging--

**WHANG!.!.!**

--Slim's Walloper.

Slim blinked his three eyes.

By then, Heinous was up with a plasma strike.

_**SLASSSSSSSSSSH!.!.!.!**_

Slim ducked.

Heinous missed and moved behind him with momentum. "Shit!"

THWEP!

Slim back-kicked him.

Heinous teetered. He rolled, dodging shots from the distant Qwark.

BOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!

Qwark's missiles left potholes on the metal.

TH-THAP! Nefarious landed in Heinous' way. "NNnrraagh!" he kicked.

Heinous smirked, ducked, grabbed the leg, and threw Nefarious somewhere.

FWOOOSH!

Slim appeared in front of Heinous, wielding a crossbow.

TWNNNNG! TWNNNG! TWNNNG!

Metal, sparking arrows flew.

All it took Heinous was a simple leap-frog to avoid them.

He landed near Slim and kicked.

Slim blurred to the side.

WHUP!

Heinous ended up striking Qwark in the chest.

"OOF!" Qwark hobbled back with Skrunch shrieking.

Slim appeared to Heinous' left and elbowed him in the 'cheek'.

THWAK!

"OW!" Heinous reached to grab the tyhrranoid……but it was gone.

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Slim blurred from behind, jumped, vaulted off Heinous' pointy head, twirled around while upside-down while engaging his Visibomb Gun.

FWWWOOM!

Heinous ducked.

BLAM!

Qwark attacked from the left with a Blitz Gun.

Heinous ran, and ducked Slim's attacks.

A black-red-purple beam was coming his way from above.

Heinous hurled a bomb behind him to distract Slim and Qwark……or at least Qwark. He fired from his palms.

Nefarious stopped emitting his beam from his hands, and brought out his ray guns.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

And the wind blew harder.

* * *

Sasha stood with her gloved hands behind her slender figure. She was in front of Qwark's chair as usual. Below, her a few rangers piloted the ship, Al and Skidd spoke to one another, and Helga glared at nothing from her chair. 

"………"

"So, I say that we should call for help," Skidd gestured from where he stood.

"Who?" Al asked from his seat.

"I dunno. Anyone!"

"_HA!" _a mocking laugh.

They both reluctantly looked.

Helga kept her large butt in her seat as she said, "You to are pathetic! Ve don't need help! Captain Qwark can handle anything just fine without any pozerz to get in the way!"

"But they took care of things while we were away," Al defended Skidd's point. "Pincer was captured and put in jail, a bank robbery was foiled, and Nutty Nick was defeated!"

"Pincer is just a thief!" Helga snorted. "Und Nutty Nick is insane!.!.!"

"That's not the point," the Metropolitan said. "My point is that some assistance would be helpful. Dr. Heinous isn't like any other villain this galaxy has seen."

"Dude, wasn't it my point?" Skidd asked half-attentively as he played with his visor.

"With Qwark by their side, they sure can!"

"Not just with just Qwark, Helga. Ratchet and Clank."

"……"

"Err…Dr. Nefarious is quite a fighter too, remember?"

"………….Und Nefarious too."

Al smirked ever so slightly.

"I doesn't matter who fights."

All three looked up.

Sasha had been listening attentively. She kept her possession above the Q-Force members and continued, "Whoever does it, Dr. Heinous will be defeated. Whether it's Ratchet, Clank, Nefarious, Jack, Qwark, Courtney……"

"True," Al scratched his chin as if deep in thought. "But what if they lose?"

"Ratchet and Clank had never lost before. Qwark has improved these past few weeks. Jack and Nefarious are perfectly qualified. And so is everyone else."

"Uh, what about that army, Cap'n?" Skidd asked.

"That's not for Heinous," Sasha said with a hint of sombreness.

"Then, who'z it for?" Helga demanded.

Before Sasha, could speak--

"Captain!" A random ranger called.

Sasha shifted her gaze to the right. "Yes?"

"We've received another signal!"

"From who?"

"A fellow ranger. He has news about what happened."

"We already know _what happened_."

"He has more to say."

Sasha sighed. She formally walked down the Bridge's left ramp and stopped in front of the ranger. "Let's see."

The robots ran to a computer station, where a ranger's 'face' could be seen. Behind it was the interior of a dropship.

Sasha leaned over and said to the screen, "This is Captain Sasha. Report."

The present ranger, Al, Skidd, and Helga crowded around and craned their necks to see…….if some of them _had_ necks.

"_Uh, this is H-26," _the ranger onscreen was emotionless as he said. _"Dr. Heinous' base was destroyed by a huge explosion that shattered into pieces and sent everything falling towards Plane--"_

"We know that," Sasha interrupted. "Anything else?"

"_Yes. I am the pilot of the dropship that transported Nefarious, Courtney, and Lawrence. A piece of debris slammed into the ship, I shock, and banged my noggin on the side of the ship and was…….well, out of it."_

"You were knocked out?"

"_You can say that. Anyway, my systems went into an automatic reboot and I found that the ship had gone several light-years out of range. I'm heading back as I speak."_

"Is there anything else," Sasha was growing impatient at the useless news.

The ranger noticed and skipped to the point._ "I have a lock on the communicators and I know where everyone is!"_

Sasha did a double-take, "You do?"

"_Yeah, I do. All the communicators are fine. Everyone's on Veldin. A giant desert."_

"Roomel," Sasha said slowly.

Al's eyes widened. He reached into his pocked and pulled out a calculator. No one noticed as he pressed several buttons.

"_Yeah. I'm having a difficult time contacting them, because of the strong winds."_

"Then go to the desert and pick them up. At this point in time, it's getting dark and cold."

"_I'll be sure to do that, Captain. H-26 out--"_

"Wait!" Al shouted as he barged through the small group with the final result on his calculator. "There's horrible news!"

"What is it?" Sasha asked as she gave him room to speak with the ranger.

"I've finished with some calculations!" Al panted. "Those winds aren't just normal winds. They're a signal to a sandstorm. And it's that time of year for Roomel have one."

"How bad?"

"That depends, Captain. Two Veldin years ago, a huge sandstorm wiped out an entire group of explorers! Ten year before that, a girl went missing in the storm and was found several weeks later as a sandy, decomposing carcase! There's no telling what this storm can do!.!"

"If this is as bad as you say--…," Sasha stopped herself. She turned her attention to the ranger's image, "Get there and get them all. We'll be at Veldin as soon as possible. Don't wait for us! Just GO!"

The ranger jumped a little, but agreed. _"Uh, okay, Captain. H-26 out."_

-blip-

The image disappeared.

"Uh, I'm guessing that was bad," Skidd said stupidly.

Al and Helga glared at him.

"………..Wut?"

Sasha stood still as a statue.

"Captain, are you alright?" the ranger asked.

"………."

"Captain?.?"

Sasha blinked twice, coming back. She turned to the range. "I'm fine," she said. "Return to your work."

"Yes, ma'am!" the ranger saluted and trotted off.

Sasha was silent then.

"……….."

* * *

_**WHAM!.!.!**_

Qwark managed to land a well-aimed punch in Heinous' face.

The scientist fell back, caught himself with his hands, and kicked with an upper cut.

Qwark jumped back, before his chin could be kicked.

TWIIIIISH!

Heinous let loose a disk.

"!.!.!.!" Qwark jerked his head left.

_SLASSSSH!.!.!_

"AAAAAAARGH!.!.!" he screamed as he received a cut across the cheek. Blood dripped out from the two-inch long wound.

"Aaaaa-aaa!" Skrunch shrieked, alarmed.

Heinous smirked and raised a hand to slice.

GRIP!

His arm was caught by a high-jumping Slim. The same could be said for the other hand. Slim had Heinous in an almost inescapable hold. Almost.

TH-THAP!

Nefarious landed in front of him with a fist. He punched as Slim held.

WHAP!

"That was for the petting zoo!"

THWAP!

"That was for my ninth birthday!.!"

WHUP!

"That was for the girls' locker room incident!.!.!"

"Skkkktt-hahahaa!"

"Shut up, Jack!" THWUPP! "That was for the rollercoaster!.!.!.!"

SLAP!

"My first pet!.!.!.!.!"

PUNCH!

"My second pet!.!.!.!.!.!"

KICK!

"My fourth pet!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

"What about your third pet?"

"He died a day after I got him. Jeremy was on a camping trip that then………WHICH I COULDN'T GO TO, CUZ HE MADE ME SICK BY OPENING MY WINDOW WHEN I WAS ASLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

WHACK!

It wasn't Nefarious who struck that time. Heinous had 'slapped' his brother with the bottom of his foot. He swung again.

Nefarious ducked.

WHAM!

Qwark took the blow instead as he was advancing to help.

TH-THAP!

Heinous 'grabbed' Nefarious with both his feet, and literally pushed the scientist under him in an attempt to trip Slim.

It half-worked; Nefarious slid over the metal, but Slim jumped.

Heinous manipulated the jump and jerked back.

Slim jolted, but kept his footing.

Qwark charged at Heinous with a Walloper equipped.

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!.!.!.!

THWIP!

He was kicked in the chest.

Heinous charged his arms up with smoke. Slim's resistant skin……resisted. So, Heinous produced two plasma balls.

Slim gasped and let go.

Heinous immediately spun a three-sixty, and flung both plasma balls at the tyhrranoid.

Slim blurred backwards.

BLAAAAM! BLAAAAAM!

The explosives missed.

Qwark and Nefarious attacked from both sides.

Heinous grinned and back-flipped towards Qwark. He jumped and vaulted off his head. Nefarious followed suit in the same fashion.

"HEY!" Qwark rubbed his bruised scalp. His head faced Skrunch, "I'm gonna need some lotion for that."

The money simply shrugged.

"Look out!" Slim--who was ten-feet away--pointed up.

Qwark and Skrunch looked.

"!.!.!.!.!.!" "!.!.!.!.!.!"

Their eye(s) bugged.

_ZAAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-AAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Heinous' pure-red beam, that had missed Nefarious, was coming their way.

Qwark wasn't quick enough, and Slim knew it. He blurred and pulled Qwark, but was too late by a split second.

_**SPLORCH!.!.!.!.!.!**_

_**

* * *

**_Courtney and Lawrence jumped. 

**

* * *

**

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" _**Qwark screamed as his left boot exploded. 

Skrunch--perfectly fine--gasped.

Slim's blue eyes darted left and right.

Nefarious was distracted, curious.

_POW!.!.!.!_

"Ugh!" he spun twice and landed on his side.

Heinous grinned as he looked at Qwark.

The costumed hero was busy clutching his stub of a left foot. The leg itself spewed crimson blood out like a fountain.

Slim gasped and tapped buttons on his storage watch.

A nano-pack materialized in his hand. He broke it over the screaming Qwark's wound. The blue substance did its best, but only managed to stop the bleeding. Qwark kept screaming, calming down at a slow rate.

"It's gonna be okay!" Slim tried comforting him as he laid him on his back. Skrunch jumped and landed on his bare feet. He felt utterly useless. "We can get you a new one!" Slim continued.

Qwark tried fighting back the tears. "I-I can't fight….," he managed.

"That don't matter; we can handle it," Slim said.

Qwark nodded painfully.

And, as if he had known, Slim signalled to a dark lit 'cliff' of metal.

FLASH! FLASH!

Qwark and Skrunch disappeared…

* * *

…and reappeared in front of Lawrence, whose back was to the fight. 

"Miss Courtney, I'll need some assistance if I want to cease his pain," the butler explained calmly but urgently as he kneeled down.

The female robot nodded her scarred head and kneeled down

Skrunch watched. He could barely see in the dark.

"It will be alright, Master Qwark. These days, we can get you a bionic one easily."

Qwark nodded. "I'll just……s-sit this one out………th-then."

"That's a wise thing to do, sir. Now, hold still; this might sting."

"We'd better move him to a safe spot, Lawrence. The winds are getting stronger."

"Agreed. Let's drag him over there," Lawrence pointed.

* * *

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh," Heinous chuckled thoughtlessly. 

By then, Nefarious has risen to his feet. But he didn't attack; he just starred in shock at his stepbrother….as if he was a whole new person.

Slim did the same, all three eyes fixed on the one who had just mutilated a legendary hero.

Heinous didn't stop chuckling.

"Now, that's low," Nefarious 'breathed'. "I've seen you do some bad things in our days………but you never showed disrespect for life!"

"What about the pets?" Heinous fought back a giggle.

"BE SERIOUS, YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!.!.!.!.!.!"

Heinous stopped chuckling, but kept a smug grin. "I told you, Vince. I do whatever it takes to be successful. Even if it means killing the enemy instead if using mind-control. You should be thankful that I only destroyed his foot. And 'monster'?.?.?.?.? I'm no monster; I'm a robot and nothing else. I may have the characteristics of a squishy, but that doesn't change anything. In short, I'll do what I must do…….," his chest glowed and his hands shimmered, "…….even if it means absolute obliteration of EVERYONE WHO **GETS IN MY WAY!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**"

FLAAAAAAAAAAASH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH!

A laser flew in Slim's direction, and two plasma balls in Nefarious'.

Both freaks made a leap for it.

BOOOOOM! BLAAAAAM! BLAAAAAAM!

Slim landed in a roll, he equipped an N90 Hurricane and fired while strafing.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Nefarious landed from a jump with his handheld weapons.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAP!

Heinous jumped, flipped, and landed on his hands.

TWIIIIIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH!

While upside down, he shot five exploding disks in Nefarious' direction.

Nefarious ceased fire and jumped.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!

Two disks exploded in the land where he was; the other three……..flew after him.

Nefarious' eyes widened and he flew.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Slim continued firing.

Heinous grinned, and pushed off. As he was about to land on his feet, he charged smoke and a laser.

P-Plant.

He landed and fired.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM!

The orange balls of smoke formed rings around the yellow beam.

Slim gasped and replaced his N90 Hurricane with a Swingshot.

POW-CLANK!

The hook caught something up high and the gadget contracted.

WHOOOOOSH! Slim flew out of harms way.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Nefarious landed with a frown, having destroyed all the disks that were chasing him. He brought his hand to the ground.

TWWSHHHH! TWWSHHHH! TWWSHHHH!

Energy shot out from the ground like geysers.

Heinous made a shield of smoke around himself for protection.

The attack stopped.

WHAM!

Slim's foot slammed into Heinous' back.

Heinous stumbled forward.

WOOOSH!

A hologram came his way.

He got on his chest and rolled. When he was on his back, he hurled a plasma ball behind him.

Nefarious jumped and hovered.

BLAAAAAM!

The bomb missed.

The hovering scientist concentrated as he rolled into a ball.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

Heinous kicked himself up and side-stepped.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Slim blurred at him.

Heinous brought a glowing fist as a downward slash.

_**SLASSSSSSSSSSSH!.!.!.!**_

Slim jumped over him before he could be sliced in two.

Suddenly, several holograms appeared over the 'battle field'. Each one looked exactly like Nefarious. But instead of gliding across the land with sailing claws, they were just standing there, 'staring' directly at Heinous. They cast a glow of blue, red, and green.

The scientist shifted nervously. He looked in his brother's direction.

Nefarious stood as still as a statue. His fingers were trained on his 'temples'. He was slightly hunched over, and his legs were apart ever so slightly. Slim stood by his side with a serious expressing on his white face.

A beat.

WOOOOSH!

One hologram slid over the land with an outstretched claw.

Heinous side-jumped.

The copy missed and disappeared into nothing.

Heinous landed.

A beat.

WOOOOSH!

Another hologram swiped at him as it zoomed.

Heinous just high-jumped.

The moment he landed, another hologram was attacking.

WOOOOSH!

Heinous held his arms out in front of him in an 'X' formation.

BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

The damage was absorbed, but the scientist was pushed back…..in the way of--

WOOOOOSH!

--another speeding doppelganger.

Heinous 'held his breath' and--

POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!

--punched the hologram with a smoke-charged fist.

He looked at his stepbrother.

Nefarious hadn't moved. He was still. Motionless. Immobile. Unmoving…………… Vulnerable.

It was then that Heinous growled--"Hrrrrraaaaa-aaaaaaghhh!.!.!.!"--and hurled a concentrated ball of plasma.

FWOOOOOM!

It flew.

Slim sprung into action with a Hollowshield Glove. He tossed a ball; it landed on the ground and formed into a thin, one-way shield.

The plasma ball was blocked.

Heinous blinked.

Slim smirked.

WOOOOOSH!

WOOOOOSH!

WOOOOOSH!

Three holograms cut through the sandy air like knives through butter.

Heinous rolled, leapt, and rolled again, successfully dodging.

WOOOOSH!

He side-rolled.

WOOOOSH!

He blocked.

BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

WOOOOSH!

He dodge-rolled.

It was as if these Nefarious….s were perpetually being created. They sailed at Heinous, who grew steadily more tired as he dodged. Some converged at him all at once. The fact that he could no longer fly was becoming all the more annoying.

He panted.

WOOOSH!

A hologram came from behind.

Heinous didn't sense it in time.

GRIP!

Instead of hitting him and disappearing, the duplicate grabbed Heinous by the left arm.

Heinous was about to try to defend himself, when--

WOOOOSH-GRIP!

Another hologram came from behind and seized the other arm.

Heinous growled.

WOOOOSH! WOOOOSH! WOOOOSH!

GRIP! CLUTCH! GRAB!

Another three came. Two took the legs; another took the neck.

WOOOSH! WOOOOSH! WOOOOSH! WOOOOSH!

It wasn't long before Heinous couldn't move. He was held by nine holograms, rendering him unable to move.

"Grrrrfh! Nnnnngh! Rrrrnnn-nnnaaaagh! Let go of me!.!.!.!.!"

WHOOOOOOSH!

Slim appeared a few feet away. "Just a little longer, Nefarious!" he shouted. Then he equipped a humongous buzuka………with a big, red-boxing glove at the end of it.

Heinous blinked.

_**POW! SWOOOOSH!.!.!**_

The giant glove flew.

Heinous tried budging, but was being held tight.

The glove got closer, being propelled by a jet thruster in the 'wrist area'.

Heinous charged orange smoke and green plasma.

BSHHHHH!.!.!.! BSHHHHH!.!.!.! BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

It worked; three holograms disappeared.

BSHHHHH!.!.!.! BSHHHHH!.!.!.! BSHHHHH!.!.!.! BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

Almost there.

BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

One more…

BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

The last hologram disappeared. Heinous immediately ran left.

_**SWOOOOOOOSH!**_

The glove flew past him……

……straight at Nefarious.

Slim knew that yelling would be out of the question. He also knew that it was be wrong to save Nefarious just by moving him. Even though he was a robot, it would be disastrous to disturb anyone in his position. And even if it was okay to disturb, it was difficult, because Heinous was sending a bouncing ball of fury at him.

Slim sighed and dodged.

_KA-**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!**_

The ball exploded behind him.

Meanwhile…

_**SWOOOOOOOOOSH!**_

The glove flew.

One nearby hologram noticed and 'gasped'.

Instantly, every Nefarious vanished.

All except for the real Nefarious.

"…," The original released his hands from his head. Eyes opening and blinking. "!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" The red glove flew at him, and he was too slow to react.

**POWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

The glove struck him right in his centre. With a yell, he flew…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

…so high, that he passed the 'protective barrier' of metal and was sucked into the sandy void, unable to fly.

He disappeared.

Slim was awestruck. He stared up in horror.

Heinous landed from a dodge. "Just you and me now, E5."

"Raaaaa-uuuugh!.!.!.!" Slim blurred.

FWOOOOOSH!

No weapons; just a fist.

CLUTCH!

Heinous caught it.

"NNNNNNNRRRRRAAAAAAA!.!.!.!.!.!" Slim aimed a kicked.

GRIP!

Heinous also caught that.

TWIIIISH!

A disk flew.

Two of Slim's eye-stems parted so the tyhrranoid wouldn't be rendered two-thirds blind.

THWONK!

Slim punched Heinous in the chest.

The scientist let go, stumbled, and groaned.

Slim swung a right hook.

WHUP!

Heinous deflected.

Slim crouched and kicked.

TRIP!

Heinous was tripped. He fell on his back.

CHIIIII-IIIII-IIIING!.!.!.!

Now sporting a glowing, double-edged axe, Slim hyper-struck.

Heinous bent his legs towards his head and somersaulted backwards.

THUNK!

The axe missed.

Heinous--now standing--engaged with smoke balls.

Slim twirled his axe and deflected.

CLANK! CL-CLANK! CLIINKK!

He replaced it with a blue laser sword.

VIIIIIIUM!

He slashed.

CHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!

Heinous clapped his hands over the weapon.

He swung his foot out.

WHAP!

Slim took the blow to the leg. He pulled back, and swung low.

VIIIIUM!

Heinous jumped with more smoke bombs.

Slim prepared to deflect.

CHHIIN-K! VIIIII-OOOF! CHIIIIIIIII-F!.!

He slid back a few feet.

"HAAAAA!"

TWIIIISH! TWIIISH! TWIIIISH!

Slim put his sword away and ran fast.

SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

He stopped with a R.Y.N.O., and unleashed nine orange missiles.

_**SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SHIIOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Heinous dodged eight, grabbed the ninth and threw it back.

The missile formed an arc and exploded somewhere.

Slim produced Heavy Bouncer.

**POO-OOF!.!.!.!.!**

"RRRRRRGH!" Heinous growled and--WHAPPPPP!.!.!.!.!.!--deflected the ball with all his might.

It flew in Slim's direction.

The tyhrranoid ran back, jumped, pushed off a wall, and flew over the explosion.

He landed.

He blinked.

He sensed.

He arched his back to the left.

Heinous' attempted punch failed. So, with his other hand, he tried grabbing the freak by the eye-stems.

Slim looked behind, grabbed Heinous' hand, and threw the scientist over him.

Heinous managed to land on his feat.

"HIIII-YAAAHH!" Slim came from above.

Heinous gasped and side-stepped.

TH-THWAP! Slim landed on nothing. "Rraaa-aaaaagh!.!.!.!" he yelled and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched and punched.

Heinous blocked and back-stepped.

WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH_-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-WH-**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

"Getting sloppy, E5!' Heinous said amidst the punches, growls, and wind. He pulled one arm up and swung it as a downward slash.

Slim stopped punching and side-dodged.

**SLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!.!.!.!**

Heinous missed.

"Nrrragh!" Slim rammed himself into the scientist.

THWAM!

"OOOF!"

Slim continued running and taking Heinous with him. Two if his frowning eyes moved around the robot's torso to see ahead. The middle eye glared freakishly in the robot's face. The scientist was pushed……

"Nnnngh! You think you can beat me?.! I created you! YOU HEAR ME?.!.?.!.?.!"

_FLASH!_

And it happened again. Slim was glowing. Glowing white. Silver. The colour outlined his figure. He felt stronger, faster, happier………..and, at the same time, angry and weak. The same feeling he had when he fought the Thug Leader on the ship at Grelbin. The power of Rage and Determination. It grew brighter as he ran at a faster speed.

Heinous gasped, the thing he dreaded coming true.

Finally, Slim stopped. And instead of letting Heinous fly--

CATCH!

--he ceased the scientist's ankle, and blindly tossed him into a pile of metal.

CRASH!

…

…

…

…

…

"Ugh," Heinous groaned. KONK! A piece of scrap fell on his head.

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Slim sailed at hi with an elbow.

Heinous grunted and tossed a ball of smoke.

WHA-OOF!

Slim backhanded it with a glowing hand.

Heinous quickly got up, and moved away.

CRRRRK!

Slim's albino fist sunk into the pile.

"HAAAA!" Heinous karate-kicked.

Luckily, Slim's free hand was closest to the scientist. He deflected.

WHAP!

Heinous threw a plasma ball.

Slim deflected that too.

Heinous ducked, allowing his own attack to miss him.

BLAAAAAAM!

Heinous' face was close enough to be--

THWUK!

--kicked.

He flew and crashed several feet away.

Slim's hand was still in the pile. Without uttering a word, the tyhrranoid pulled out a large robot torso. He flung it.

Heinous regained focus and brought two hands of smoke-plasma energy.

**_S-KKKKKKKCKCKCKKCKCKKCKCKKC!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_** KLUNK! KLUNK!

The torso was sliced in two. Both pieces feel on either side of him.

Heinous grunted, growled, and tossed smoke and plasma. "HRUAAA-AAAAAAGH!"

Slim--now running--either dodged or deflected. Either way, he succeeded in getting to the enemy.

Heinous tried punching, but his fists were caught. Slim glared at him with all three eyes.

"H-How did you manage to unleash the hidden p-p-power?" Heinous stammered.

"I focused my energies," Slim replied. "Back on Bogon, the Thug Leader and I talked. We fought, and during the fight, I it…..juts happened."

"Y-Y-You needed this power to beat the Leader?.! H-He's crippled!.!.! How could--?.!.?.!.?.!"

"He used 'nother power too. But not 'is. He said it was extracted from Experiment 3."

"N-No….," Heinous was chocked with fear.

"I didn't believe him. And neither should you."

"……."

"Anymore questions?"

"…….."

"……."

"……"

"……"

"…..nnnnnnnn," Heinous growled lowly. It then turned into a shout. "NNNNNNRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

TWIIIIISH!

A disk flew from Heinous' mouth.

Slim released the fists, ducked, kicked.

His white foot was caught.

"AAAAAAAGH!" Heinous threw him.

Slim twirled his body and landed on his feet. He bared his teeth at the angered Heinous……

……who was letting loose every attack he knew.

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! FLAAAAAAAAAAASH!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM!

BLAAAAAAM! BLAAAAM! BLAAAAM! BLAAAAM! BLAAAAAM!

TWIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIISH!

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.! **

**POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!-POW!.!.!.!.!.!**

_ZAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

Slim's super-duper reflexes kicked in. He evaded bullets, dodged lasers, avoided disks, darted out of the way of bouncing balls of energy, rolled under lasers, jerked round smoke balls, and jumped over plasma balls. The attacks presented by the infuriated scientist were neatly avoided by the speeding tyhrranoid. But Heinous continued throwing. He showed no sign of tiredness. It was as if some anger steroid was keeping him going. Although he didn't express it himself, Slim was still determined and enraged, keeping the Spectrum abilities. He wasn't hit once, now deflecting some blasts. Heinous kept unleashing more energy, letting out a bloodcurdling warcry, not wanting to stop……not wanting to believe.

He panted…

He heaved as his last plasma ball flew.

BLAAAAAAM!

It missed severally.

He breathed heavily, his eyes wide and angry. He would be sweating if the temperature wasn't dropping and if he was still organic.

Slim walked towards him. He was scowling now. All three of his eyes were curved forward. His teeth showed and the silver glow around him intensified, as, ""Nnnnnnrrr-aaaaaAAAAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

TWOOOOOSH!

He ran.

He jumped.

He flew.

He landed.

He struck.

TWAP-WHAP-THWAK-POW-WHUM-WHUP-WHUMP-BONK-KICK-PUNCH-THWUP-SLAP-SMACK-SLASH-CRASH-CRUNCH-CLINK-CLANK-WHAM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Heinous fell into another pile of scrap. He was dented, probably beyond repair. One antenna was lost, another bent. The gash in his knee only widened. Spider web crack formed in his dome.

Slim stood a few feet away, panting…….panting……panting…….panting…….panting.

"………….," Heinous didn't move. He just……….smoked.

Slim took a deep breath and the silver was gone. He was weakened heavily, but he still had enough energy to say, "My life has been avenged, Jeremiah. Yer reign o' terror's over…….." and that was when he collapsed to his knees and fell flat on his chest, exhausted.

"……."

"……."

"…….."

"………"

"……."

"……"

"……..Eh-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-hehehehehehehehehehe…."

A chuckle.

Slim's eyes widened and erected to see.

Heinous was chuckling--no--he was laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!.!.!.!.!.!" He sat up like a vampire…….with an insane grin. "You think you can eradicate me that easily, E5?.?.?" he got up and began walking his scarred body towards the horror-stricken tyhrranoid. One foot seemed lazy and lagged behind "I admit, you did actually scare me…….but then I realised that you were inexperienced in the power I never told you about. Heh, and now, you ran out…leaving you exhausted." He stopped over Slim. Hi grin turned into a scowl. "I'm gonna wipe you off the face of the universe, you white turd! Nnnnnraaaagahhh!.!.!.!.!.!.!" his right hand straightened, sharp as a dagger. He charged plasma, led, and smoke and struck at the weak tyhrranoid's back.

Slim was too weak. He clenched his eyes shut and waited.

**_SWOOOSH-CLANK!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

But it never came.

Slim allowed one blue eye to open.

Heinous' slash had been blocked by something. Something long and black.

"….."

"I should have known you'd be coming," Heinous said with a bored sigh.

"Yeah, you should have," a familiar voice said.

Slim's gaze travelled up the bludgeon to an armoured hand. It gave off a yellowish glow, along with the arm, shoulder and helmet. The helmet, shaped to fit a lombax. The emotionless eyes glowed brightly as Ratchet's featured were unhidden.

"So, what happens?" Heinous asked sarcastically.

FLASH!

Slim disappeared the same way Qwark and Skrunch did. Lawrence must have been busy tending to Qwark, and probably noticed Slim's predicament then and there.

"How'd you manage to get through the desert without getting killed in the storm?" Heinous asked as he pulled his am away.

"We used the Tesla Barrier," Clank's voice chirped from behind Ratchet's back.

Ratchet's helmet nodded in agreement.

"Well then," Heinous half-grinned, "let me update you. Courtney's got a new makeover, Qwark's missing a foot, E5 is out of it, Lawrence is responsible for the absence of Qwark, Slim and the monkey, and Vince is--"

"Right behind you."

Heinous blinked. He slowly turned around.

Nefarious stood, ready to fight. He was badly scratched with sand. "It took a while for Lawrence to trace me and bring me here."

"Nice of you to join the tea party," Heinous uttered as he turned his back on the other robot to face Ratchet.

Ratchet had a Shock Cannon all set.

Nefarious equipped his ray guns.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Red, black, and blue flew.

At that exact moment, Heinous high-jumped. He unleashed led with one hand and hurled a ball of energy with the other.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Both lombax and robot strafed/jumped.

BLAAAAAM!

Heinous landed in a squat, choosing to fire at Ratchet.

The lombax side-stepped left and right.

Meanwhile, Nefarious was gathering the strength to create a ball of red smoke. He succeeded and strained to guide the redness towards his stationary stepbrother.

"Ratchet, use the Nitro Eruptor," Clank said.

"Gotcha," the featureless lombax replied.

He equipped the said weapon and let loose a bomb.

Heinous saw it and shot a disk from his mouth.

TWIIIISH!

_BOO-OOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!_

The bomb exploded in the air after coming in contact with the disk.

Heinous smirked.

POOF!

A cloud of red smoke exploded on his back.

"DAAAAAH!" he stumbled forward.

"HIII-YAAAAH!" Ratchet took advantage of this and was coming down with a hyper-strike.

Heinous arched his back, caught the wrench between his feet, and straightened.

WH-WHUMP!

Ratchet crashed into Nefarious, who was in mid-run.

"Nnnnnh!" the robot growled and jumped up high.

By then, Heinous was already up. He advanced on Ratchet.

The lombax stood to his feet, and whipped around with a Devastator.

PFFFF-CHOOOOOOOOM!

Heinous ducked and rolled aside.

The missile missed and exploded. BOOM!

"Grr-rrf!" Heinous stretched his arm and tried shooting led.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

He was interrupted by a screaming, purple laser that was getting nearer to him.

He sighed and rolled again.

He was greeted by Ratchet and a Blaster.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

He side-stepped, launching disks.

TWIIIISH! TWIIIIISH! TWIIIIIIISH!

Ratchet replaced his Blaster with his wrench, and deflected.

CL-CLANK! CLIINK!

Heinous landed. He half-sensed with one antenna.

He leapt to the side.

WOOOOSH!

A hologram barely missed him.

He glared behind him.

Two holograms were coming.

Heinous twirled around and blocked.

B-BSHHHHH!.!.!.!

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!

Ratchet's spinning wrench flew and hit him in the ankles. He wasn't tripped though.

"Raaaaaagh!" he swiped a bare claw.

KLUNK!

Ratchet blocked with the flat of his wrench.

Nefarious approached with a blue plasma ball ready.

For but a second, Heinous made his head do a one-eighty, and 'spat' out an explosive disk.

THIIIIIKK!.!.!

It landed in Nefarious' part, beeping.

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

Nefarious gasped as the explosion's force sent him back.

Meanwhile…

SLASSSSSSH!

Ratchet jumped Heinous' swipe.

CLAKKK!

He blocked Heinous' kick after landing.

"Nnnnnngh!" the armoured lombax swung his wrench.

TOING!

Heinous blocked with the back of his forearm.

WHAP!

His foot collided with Ratchet's chest plate.

Ratchet fell on his rear.

"YAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!" Heinous brought his claws in a downward slash.

CLIIIIK!

Ratchet blocked with his wrench in the nick of time.

TWIIIIISH!

Heinous allowed a disk to fly.

Ratchet jerked his head left.

SCRAAAPE!.!.!

A minor scratch was made on the helmet's left side.

THWUMP!

Nefarious had returned with a bear hug. Heinous' arms were one again bound by his sides.

"C'mon, Ratchet!" Nefarious yelled, trying not to lose his hold. "Finish him!"

Ratchet equipped his Tempest and charged the weapon up.

Heinous struggled, but then managed to slip free by…….slipping downwards.

Nefarious blinked, fore he was empty-handed.

Ratchet also noticed that Heinous had escaped. So, he aimed down.

ZAA-AA-AA-AA-AAP!

"AAAAAGH!" Heinous was electrocuted. He let out a shout and grabbed his stepbrother by the ankles and literally swung him sat Ratchet.

Ratchet side-stepped. Ignoring Nefarious, he yelled and used his Multi-Star.

SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH!

Heinous used his disks.

TWIIIIISH! TWIIIISH! TWIIIISH! TWIIIISH!

Four purple stars were hit, but one flew and--

SLIIIIIK!

--imbedded itself in Heinous' arm.

"AAAGH!" Heinous tried to pry the projectile out of his right bicep.

PFFFF-CHOOOOOOOOM! FWOOOOOOM!

A Devastator missile and a Decimator missile were screaming towards him.

Heinous disregarded his injured self and ducked. The missiles flew over him, but more were coming.

Heinous sprung up and ran.

Some made a curve to get him, others exploded off-target.

"I don't like missiles!" Heinous panted as he dodged.

"Yeah, but they like you," Nefarious said, in the air. He focused his energies and unleashed a hoard of missiles from wormhole.

All the projectiles flew.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Heinous ran while shooting up.

BOOM! BOOM! B-B-B-BOOOOOM! BOOO-OOOOM!

He succeeded in escaping from the missiles' wrath.

TH-THAP!

And that was when Nefarious landed with his ray runs equipped.

He was about to fire, when--

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

--Ratchet attacked with his Heavy Lancer.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Heinous responded by shooting from his palms.

Led and energy led met, creating a 'wall'. Ratchet kept his finger on the trigger. Although his features were covered by his helmet, it was obvious that he was baring his teeth. Heinous used both hands as he strafed slightly. Both fighters walked left and right.

Nefarious was about to spring into the action, when he heard something.

"…….," he tried to listen over the shooting. Ratchet and Heinous hadn't noticed, but Clank--like Nefarious--had.

It was a ranger dropship. The vessel was scratched badly from the sand storm as it moved into sheltered territory, the scraping of particles stopped. It landed, and its door-ramp opened. A ranger stepped out. Nefarious was the first he noticed.

"Nefarious!" he called.

The scientist starred.

"I've come to transport you and the others to safety," the robot explained.

"But we haven't won yet!" Nefarious shouted.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Five figures appeared outside the ship. Lawrence was one of them. He was dragging a wounded and slightly conscious Qwark to the ship. Courtney followed with Slim over her shoulder. Skrunch took the rear.

Nefarious' eyes widened when he saw Courtney's face.

Courtney noticed and gave him a small smile, "S'okay. Al can fix it."

After dragging Qwark all the way, Lawrence hopped out and spoke to the ranger. "Captain Qwark required medical attention."

The ranger nodded as Courtney and Skrunch stepped inside, "I hear ya." He looked over at Nefarious. "You coming? This storm can only get worse."

Nefarious frowned, "No, I'm not."

Courtney did a double take as she stepped out. "Why not?"

"Cuz Jeremy's not down yet. That's why."

"So?.?.?.? You're too injured to--!"

"No, I'm not."

"…."

"….."

"….."

"GO!"

It wasn't Courtney or Nefarious who yelled that. The latter and former looked.

Ratchet was running towards them. His emotions were unknown, courtesy of his helmet.

"Go now!" the lombax yelled. "I'll finish this!"

"Never!" Nefarious shook a fist at him. "This is MY fight! Always has been; and always will be!"

"No,' this time, Courtney spoke. "Let him."

"But, Courtney, I'm so close--!"

"Like I said, you're too injured," the female robot said. "Let Ratchet and Clank finish this…..like they always have."

Nefarious sighed and walked into the ship.

The ranger was left. "Uh, you sure, Sarge?"

"Definitely," Ratchet nodded.

"We have always managed," Clank's voice said.

"Alright," the ranger saluted. "Good luck, sir!"

Ratchet saluted back. "Thanks. And make sure you get them to safety."

The ranger nodded and trotted inside his ship. The door-ramp closed, and the vessel took off, disappearing into the sand.

"Are you sure we can win?" Clank asked.

"No," was Ratchet's only response.

"Well, well, well, looks like it's just you and me, eh?" Heinous said as he dusted himself off. The star was still in his arm.

Ratchet faced him. "Yeah."

"I must ask you something first, Ratchet. Why?"

"I don't know really," Ratchet explained. "Clank and I usually stay behind and do all the work. But you're different. You're more merciless than I thought. Worse than Drek……worse than Nefarious. I want to make sure that you never resurface again, whether I have to send you behind bars….or destroy you."

"Touching," Heinous got into a fighting stance. "Done preaching to me?"

"Yeah," Ratchet prepared to fight with his wrench. He whispered, "Wish me luck, Clank."

"You don't need luck," the robot responded bluntly.

Ratchet nodded with a hidden smile.

Heinous stood still, ready.

"….."

"….."

"……"

"….."

"….."

"……"

"……"

"…….."

….

…..

….

…

…

…

….

….

The wind blew.

Sand flew.

Heinous and Clank didn't feel.

And neither did Ratchet.

Time seemed to freeze.

It was like an eternity.

They waited for their opponent to make the first move, but it never happened.

The only thing that could be heard was the wind.

And the sound of sand scratching against metal, eroding it.

And.

Finally.

They.

Charged.

Ratchet with his wrench.

Heinous with his claws.

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Ratchet swung.

Heinous clawed.

_**WHOOOOOSH-SCHHHHHKKKT!**_

_**SLASSSSSSSH-CRACH!**_

They stopped.

Backs to each other.

Frozen.

"Ratchet?" Clank uttered.

He didn't move.

Neither did Heinous.

They just stood there.

"R-Ratchet……?"

Ratchet was stuck in an after-swipe. The wrench was to the left, held in both hands, pointing up.

"I'm fine, Clank."

His helmet split in two. Both halfs fell besides his feet. His furry head was exposed.

"Thank Heavens," the robot said. A beat. "Heinous still hasn't moved."

" know," Ratchet uttered as he turned around.

Heinous was stuck in a slash. His right arm was positioned diagonally in front of his chest. And his left arm………………

His left arm….

Thap.

…..fell to the ground. It had been sliced clear off. The joint that was supposed to touch the shoulder sparked.

Heinous allowed his right arms to hang by his side. His only arm. His left shoulder sparked. He turned around, his face horror stricken.

Ratchet's now bare face smirked at him.

"You'll pay for that," Heinous seethed.

"Make me," Ratchet spat.

"Raaaaaaagh!" Heinous threw a plasma bomb with his remaining arm.

BLAAAAAM!

Ratchet jumped over the shockwave.

He ran, dodging disks and bombs.

At one point, he jumped, and equipped his Blitz Cannon.

THWAP!

He landed right one Heinous' left foot.

BLAM!

The shot sent Heinous flying back……….missing a leg.

The lost limb was still under Ratchet's foot.

Heinous was now missing two limbs.

The lombax went for the left arm that was still on the ground.

"Nnnngh!" Heinous got up. He gasped when he realised that he only one leg. "…….N-No….." he tried getting up. "I can still fix it! I can still fix it! I can still--!"

_**BANG!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

The sound of a Vaporiser.

**_SWOOOOOOOOOSH-THUNKKKKKK!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**

His dismembered arm flew and impaled him in the chest. He flew back several feet, almost near the barrier. When he landed, he was on his back, unable to get up, because his arm had not only impaled him half of its length, but it also dug into the metal 'floor'.

Heinous grabbed and pulled.

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Ratchet came via Charge Boots. He stood over Heinous with the leg in one hand and his wrench in the other.

SLIIIIICE!

Heinous' other leg came off in the blink of an eye.

Heinous' eyes widened all the more. With his last limb, he fired yellow.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TA--!

SCHHHHHHHWWW!

But that arm was also gone. Ratchet had side-stepped, blocked, and swiped.

Heinous was now limb-less.

Ratchet wasn't finished though. He grabbed the lost legs and arm and--

SLIIIIIIIIINK! SKKKKKKJ! THUNK!

Thrust them into Heinous' chest.

Sparks and electricity danced.

"Ratchet, have you won?" Clank asked.

"I think so."

"No…..," Heinous' head face him with a hint of mock, "you haven't."

Ratchet frowned.

"Even if you beat me, I still have a backup plan," Heinous said. "Just wait three years. You'll see."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing much. The plan is resigned to destroy you if I was beaten. I was working of it from the moment my base was built. I made a failsafe. You may have defeated Dr. Heinous, but the Heinous name is far from erased. But that's not all…."

"What are you saying?"

"The tyhrranoid, Ratchet…..he's an experiment created by me. E5 is his name. Fifth in a series of--"

"Yeah, he told us," Ratchet interrupted.

"Then I'm sure he hasn't told you this………. There was a sixth experiment. Experiment 6. The last of them all. A monster with the powers of death itself. The Reaper, the Terminator, the Obliterator…….all those names belong to him. I created it to take Drek down, but you and Clank beat it to the punch. I was furious at me……luckily, I had invented something that would weaken it. Unfortunately, that handy gadget was lost. To make matters worse, Experiment 6 was only weakened. He's sleeping right now, building up his strength……somewhere. He's been doing it for the past three years. And he'll return in another three years…..all adding up to--"

"--six years," Ratchet finished. He gave eye-contact, "How can I believe you?"

"Believe what you want, Ratchet. Just know that the purest of evil will come and attack the galaxy. First, its main targets, like you two, Qwark, me….. anyone related to me……..loved ones……………and anyone who gets in the way. You'll see………….."

"Clank," ratchet said, "get off my back."

"Like before?"

"Like before."

Clank jumped off the armoured back, and contracted himself into a box like a turtle. Ratchet picked him up and put him in his storage watch.

The lombax then equipped his Obliterator. He aimed at a wall.

_**PHWOOOOO-PHOOOOO-PH-PHWOOOOOMMMM-PHWOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

Ten missiles flew and made a hole.

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The desert's sand could be seen. Some of it flew through.

Ratchet put his missile launched away, and equipped one last weapon.

The Megatron Bomb.

"One thing's for certain," Ratchet said to Heinous as he approached him, "you'll never return."

Heinous sighed sadly. "I was so close."

THWONK!

Ratchet stuck the bomb in Heinous' mouth. The red button was on top. Ratchet pressed it and ran for his life, equipping his Tesla Barrier.

SHOOOOM!

He blurred through the hole he created, leaving Heinous to his doom.

"_Destruction of Megatron Bomb in ten seconds," _a voice said from the explosive.

Heinous made no attempt to spit it out. Instead, he focused on one last attack.

…_9…_

Elsewhere, Ratchet was making an effort to Charge Boot.

…_8…_

He strained as sand bounced off his shield.

…_7…_

He had no idea where he was going, because he was blinded by the flying sand. If it wasn't for his shield, he'd _really_ by blind.

…_6…_

He had to keep going if he wanted any hope of living.

…_5…_

Clank was safe inside the watch. The others weren't even on the planet.

…_4…_

All he had to do was get out of range.

…_3…_

Back at the base's remains, the bomb ticked inside Heinous' mouth. The robot was calm, focussing.

…_2…_

He had reached enough focus to perform the same attack he did on Daxx. His scream was muffled.

…_1…_

And he released.

…_0.

* * *

_

_­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_The idea of the bomb wasn't stolen from someone else. I had it planned since before Summer. 


	48. Final decision

**Chapter Forty-eight: Final decision**

Sasha was the first to see it. She sat in her centre chair this time as her head was transfixed on the giant screen. Al, Helga, Skidd, rangers, and several other staff members were no different.

They stared from orbit as a big dome of yellow parted the Veldin atmosphere for but a second before disappearing by implosion. There was also a second explosion; much smaller, but still visible from above the planet.

There was a state of silence, before someone asked, "Uh, does this mean Dr. Heinous is dead?"

"I think he is," another one said.

"Of course! Not even a robot could survive that!"

"Alright! He's done!"

"WOOHOO!"

A ranger walked up to the still silent captain. "Captain, we have received a transmission from the dropship earlier.

"Let's see," Sasha said as she backed up to get a better picture.

The giant screen flickered static before displaying the 'face' of a ranger.

"Report," Sasha said.

"_Good new, Captain! I went down to Roomel and got back one heck of a party!" _He stepped aside, uncovering the persons of Slim, Nefarious, Qwark, Skrunch, Courtney, and Lawrence.

"How are they?" Sasha asked.

"_Qwark and Courtney are in need of medical attention. Other than that, everyone's fine."_

"And Ratchet and Clank?" Sasha couldn't see them.

"_Oh…..err," _the ranger quietened down a little. _"They stayed behind to finish Heinous off. Judging by that explosion--**two** explosions, I think it's fair to say that they succeeded."_

"Have they contacted you?"

"………_."_

"I repeat: have they contacted you?"

"………_," _the ranger was silent.

"……"

"…_..No….they haven't."_

The crowd grew sombre.

"We can say that his sacrifice was for the good of organic-kind."

"_Yeah. I'm coming towards the Phoenix. Can we finish this later?"_

"Don't come to the Phoenix," Sasha said.

The ranger leaned his head to the side. _"Why not?"_

"You'll find out once you get the ship to Marcadia. The police force shooting ranger, Sector Seven."

"_But….that's just the biggest shooting range. Why there?"_

"I'll repeat myself," Sasha inhaled. "Go there, and you'll find out."

"_Uh, okay. H-26 out."_

-blip-

And the screen blackened.

Sasha faced the silent crowd, "Return to work…"

"……………**," **no one moved.

"…now."

Everyone moved. Everyone except for Al.

The Metropolitan stood by Sasha's side and asked, "They're really gonna do it, huh?"

"It has to be done," Sasha breathed. "It was part of the deal."

"Are you sure Ratchet's……….you know--"

"Dead? Maybe. But it wasn't in vain. I'm going to send a search party to look over the crash site."

Al nodded. He then asked, "So….is it over?"

"Yes, Al……. It's over."

* * *

"'A detour'? Nefarious remarked. He stood with fists on his hips in the middle of the dropship, close so left bench. "Why?" 

"I dunno," the ranger said as he piloted the ship. "Captain's orders."

"Nnngh!" Nefarious sat down annoyingly. He folded his arms.

Slim was on his belly on the floor, breathing peacefully. He managed to pop one blue eye open. He rolled over on his back and said tiredly, "W-What happened?"

"Some bigass explosion," Nefarious said.

Lawrence then spoke from where he was tending to Qwark opposite Nefarious, "An enormous explosion shook the desert as pure destruction unfolded. The base of Dr. Heinous was sure to have been destroyed."

"The Megatron Bomb," Slim breathed.

"Excuse me?" the butler asked.

"A powerful bomb created several years ago by Gadgetron and another company called 'MegaCorp'. A bomb so powerful, it can destroy an entire moon."

"Oooh-ooh ah Ahhhhaa-Ahhhh. Akk-oooh ee," Skrunch said.

"What did he say?" Nefarious asked.

Qwark mustered the energy to say, "'Then I say we destroy the Obani Draco. I hate that place'."

Courtney glared at the monkey with her good eye from Nefarious' side.

Qwark simpered.

"Say, ranger, how long 'til Marcadea?" Nefarious asked.

"Just a few minutes," the ranger replied without looking.

"Define 'just a few minutes'."

"Just be patient, sir."

"Don't tell me what to do, Lawrence!" Nefarious yelled, alarming the ranger a bit. "I'm pissed off enough that it wasn't ME who killed Jeremy! I should have stayed!"

"And risk getting killed yourself?" Courtney retorted.

"Don't be all motherly to me! It's always Ratchet who kicked ass. Even Jack did him in. But me?.! NOTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME?.!.?.!.?.! **_NOTHIIIIIIIIII--sskkktksksk--!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"_**

"_Lance, my water broke!"_

"_Oh my! We have to get you to the hospital!"_

"_I don't think we'll make it in time!"_

Nefarious remained frozen. His position was upright with his right hand as a fist and his left arm pointing at Courtney.

"……."

"……"

"……."

"……."

"……."

"……."

No one made to slap him….not even Lawrence.

The soap went on.

"Shouldn't one of us do something?" Lawrence asked the group.

"Too tired."

"I can't walk."

"I can't see well."

"I'm driving the ship."

"Oooh ah."

Everyone had a good excuse. Since Lawrence didn't, he approached and raised his hand.

"_Just breath! Hear me? Br--"_

SLAP!

"_**--sskskktsktsss--IIIIIIING!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"**_

Nefarious inhaled and lowered his arms. He panted.

"We really need--" Lawrence was interrupted.

"I know," Nefarious sat on the bench behind him.

"I dunno," Qwark breathed slowly. "It's sort of your…..trademark."

Nefarious raised an eyebrow at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Heh…nothing."

"……"

"We're here…," the ranger said.

"'Few minutes'?" Slim stood up slowly. "More like few seconds."

"…planet's orbit."

"……..Oh."

"All I know is that spending time with the squishies hasn't changed me one bit," Nefarious muttered.

"You should learn to like them," Courtney gestured.

"W-What?.?" Nefarious looked at her in shock. "This coming from the one who was pissed at the fact that I joined them."

"I changed my mind," Courtney said casually. "They created us, y'know."

"……"

"Well, most of us."

Nefarious sighed and sat down sadly, thinking.

"Why'd ya think we had to come to Planet Marcadia?" Courtney asked, changing the subject.

"….," Lawrence was silent…..as if he knew.

Nefarious was oblivious.

Slim had managed to prop his blue-clad butt on the same bench as Nefarious. His eyes were lowered…………but he knew.

Qwark was on the verge of falling asleep. Skrunch sat by his side.

Silence.

Courtney sat down.

"…….."

"……."

"……."

"……."

"……"

"……"

"………We're here."

The first thing they felt--…..some of them felt was the ever-increasing slowness of the dropship, until it stopped for sure. The ranger spoke a few words into an intercom. The door-ramp opened. Naturally, it was Nefarious who stepped out, followed by Lawrence helping Qwark, Skrunch, Courtney, Slim, and the ranger was last.

They stepped into a small garage. Immediately, three rangers emerged from a sliding door and walked towards the group.

"Everyone, your presence is requested by Commissioner David…," one ranger said.

Everyone made to follow--

"Except you two," the ranger pointed at Nefarious and Lawrence, who stopped. "The rest of you, come with me."

"What's this about?" Nefarious asked.

"Just follow L-42 and Y-77," the ranger gestured at the other two robots with his gun.

The two said ranger parted ways, as if indirectly asking Lawrence and Nefarious to walk between them.

"Captain Qwark is in need of medical attention," Lawrence pointed at the one he was helping to stand. He gestured at Courtney, "And do is Miss Courtney."

"I'll help him," the ranger said. "There you….go… Easy does it…. Good." He began moving towards another door. "C'mon."

Slim and Skrunch followed immediately.

Courtney lingered, glanced at Nefarious one more--his back was turned--and followed.

Nefarious and Lawrence went in the direction of the other two rangers.

* * *

As the sliding door closed, all four robots were walking down a long hall. There was a fork ahead. Other than that, the halls were a dull blue colour. 

"……"

"……"

"……."

"….."

They marched.

Silent.

Backs straight.

Calm.

One of them curious.

Three of them aware.

They turned left and found themselves walking down another hall. As more turns were taken, it was evident that getting lost was a huge possibility. Every hall was the same. It was like a labyrinth, which was uncanny, considering that the two rangers seemed as if they knew where they were going.

"Funny how you guys aren't afraid of me," Nefarious smiled a little from the back of the group. "I recall you guy being cowards a year ago….when I was terrorising the galaxy with my…..my………"

"Stereotypically cliché nonsense?" Lawrence suggested without so much as a hand gesture.

"Yeah, that one……………I think," Nefarious rubbed his head. "Anyway, what's up with that?"

"We've been upgraded slightly," one ranger said. "Courage has been updated, making us more devoted to our work when it comes to the field."

"Ahhh," Nefarious nodded. "Kewl."

"Glad you like it."

"So, you guys have anything planned now?" Nefario0us frowned slightly. "Now that Jeremy's been defeated……and not by me."

"We have arrangements to escort you to Sector Seven," this time, the other ranger spoke.

"Any specific reason?"

"You'll find out once you get there."

"How long will that take? We've been walking for……….. _Psssssst! How long, Lawrence?_"

"Two minutes, sir."

"Two minutes!" Nefarious cackled.

A ranger sighed, "You'll see soon enough."

"It had better be good."

"I'm sure it'll be exciting, sir."

"Here's hoping for it," Nefarious held an invisible glass of whine in his hand and held it up as if for 'Cheers'.

No one replied.

Ten more minutes passed before they stopped in front of another sliding door.

"Please step through and you'll receive exactly what you deserve," one ranger said.

Lawrence stepped through without question.

Nefarious glared suspiciously at the two rangers, but went in the end.

_Schhhhwish.

* * *

_

The two stood in a small, circular room. 

"……."

"……"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Steam blew from……..under the floor as the claustrophobic interior shook. One half of the cylindrical opened, and the floor moved more. Soon, they had passed through the opening, towards somewhere outside. The floor was a circular platform with railings.

"Rrrrgh," Nefarious muttered. "I hate hovering platforms."

"This isn't a game, sir," Lawrence starred at their surroundings. So did Nefarious.

They were floating over a desert. Unlike the one on Veldin this one was covered with infertile soil rather than sand. There were a few mountains on the horizon. The building from where they emerged was behind them. Reflecting windows showed of up to six stories. And behind the police department, the Capital City stood as proud as ever some miles away.

"I don't like this," Nefarious frowned.

"…..," Lawrence didn't respond. He 'sighed'.

And below.

CL-CLICK! _Clik! Clakk! C-c-c-c-clack. CLIIKK!_

About one thousand guns were cocked and aimed at the floating platform that had stopped moving.

"**This is Commissioner David!" **a voice came from an unknown megaphone.

About one hundred missile launches emerged from the ground and aimed up.

"**Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence, by orders of the Galactic President, we have strict orders to send you back to where you cam from."**

Thousands of tiny robots flew/stood, aiming several different weapons at the two robots.

"**You are hereby sentenced to life on that rock you came from for the crimes of turning organic life into robots one year ago."**

Random shouts from some soldiers could be heard.

Nefarious and Lawrence were surrounded.

"**Now…are we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way? Your decision."**

They waited.

* * *

Al's, Skidd's, and Helga's eyes were glued to the holo-vid screen. The situation was being filmed from several angles. Every now and then, the camera would film a different part of the two robots. 

"……"

"…….."

"……"

None of them spoke. Not even Helga.

Behind them, Sasha was speaking over a communicator to a search party, not paying attention.

* * *

From a lobby inside the building, Courtney, Qwark, Skrunch, and Slim sat on a sofa, craning their necks to see a small holo-vid hovering near a corner of the ceiling. 

Qwark's leg was bandaged, but still in terrible condition.

Courtney's eye was replaced by a temporary eye patch. Although she rejected the patch, she was still stuck with it until the present issues was sorted out.

* * *

"Nnnngh," a robot growled under his breath. His right yellow eye was bigger than his blue left. His eyebrows were very comical. In that, they were semi-circles below his forehead. The right one was higher than the left one. However, his eyebrows and eyes didn't make him look lopsided in any way. His metal body was coated with a blue-metal…ish colour, bringing out the glowing circle in the centre of his torso. One small antenna stood on the top of his head. Instead of a nose, he had two tiny holes for nostrils. His mouth was a lot like Nefarious', but with widespread teeth. Both his arms were identical, bulky, like a ranger's right arm. His left arm wielded a megaphone. His legs were thinner, and his spiked knees resembled padding. Around his metallic waist, there was a belt, supporting holsters with Blasters and N60 Storms. Unlike the rangers, he wasn't so……..'hunched'. And lastly his forehead bared the mark of the Commissioner. 

"Is there a problem, Commissioner?" a smaller robot asked. He was a lot like a ranger, but much thinner, shorter, and, like the other robot, didn't have an arm for a gun. Unlike the rangers, he had a mouth. Like the rangers, he was hunched.

They stood on a floating platform like the other two robots. At them moment, they hovered around the scene.

"Yeah, there is, Lieutenant," Commissioner David said. "Nefarious is taking too friggin' long to speak! I ought a just give the word and blast the sonofabitch to smithereens."

"Please have patience, sir," the Lieutenant urged as he leaned over the railings. "You have to give him some credit for defeating Dr. He--"

"That was Ratchet," David interrupted. "This guy just tagged along. And he's not as powerful as you think! Can you believe that he told about his tragic and shitty childhood to the public? It's as if he wanted pity! BAH! Paaaa-thetic."

The Lieutenant didn't bother defending. He worked with the Commissioner long enough to know how difficult it was for hi to get to like someone.

FLASH!

The President appeared behind them out of nowhere.

"M-Mister President!" the Lieutenant stammered. "How'd you--?"

"I used a teleporter," the cazar said. He walked past the Lieutenant and stopped by David's side. "How's it going so far, Commissioner?"

"'Bout as fun as an old folks home," the robot grunted. "Look, can we just kill the bastard? It'll do the galaxy a lot bet--"

"I don't think you'll have to do that."

"Huh?.?" The Commissioner raised an eyebrow. "What d'you mean by that?"

"Although he doesn't show it," the President explained, "Nefarious has been growing more attached to the Q-Force every day. Sasha gad been sending me e-mails about what was happening, and she wrote about Nefarious' behaviour. Sure, he was rude and angry, but no one's perfect."

"In his case, you bet your Marcadian ass…………………"

The President glared at him.

"…………………..**sir**."

"Glad to have your respect," the President wasn't sarcastic in any way.

"Riiiiiiiiight."

"Heh, I hope they get good shots," the President smiled.

"Say what?" David looked confused.

"Didn't you hear?" the President asked with a chuckle. "Several new reporters will be filming this. In fact, they are."

"Is this true?" David asked the Lieutenant.

"N-No, sir," the V2 ranger stammered.

The Commissioner looked around. Amidst, the missile launchers, and robots trained on Nefarious and Lawrence, there where several different news reporters. Robots and organics alike. They had either rented hovering platforms of their own, or they were using jetpacks. The same for the ones filming them.

"Un-fricken-believable," David 'breathed'.

The Lieutenant simpered.

The President smirked.

The Commissioner brought his megaphone to his mouth, and yelled**, "Nefarious and Lawrence, are you gonna answer, or do we have to just _assume_ that you're gonna go quietly?"**

The President and Lieutenant looked.

Nefarious and Lawrence where too far away to be heard, but they could be seen perfectly……..and they didn't move.

"**HELLLLLLOOOO?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.? Can you too hear--?" **he stopped when he realised that Nefarious was giving him a gesture. It was to come closer. **"I'm staying right here!" **David bellowed with a frown. **"If ya wanna speak, then we'll send you a megaphone."**

It looked as if Nefarious was sighing. He nodded and gave a thumb's up just to make himself 'heard'.

David extracted a walky-talky from his belt and spoke into it, "Send him a megaphone so we can hear him."

"_Copy that. Skkkktkt."_

David put the walky-talky away, and starred at the scene.

"Do you think he'll change his mind, sir?" the Lieutenant asked.

"What's evil is always evil," the Commissioner said.

"Probably," the President said. "I have my Lie Detector with me." He held up his wrist with a watch around it.

"Ahhh, how convenient--"

"Shhhh!" the Commissioner hissed. "He got the megaphone."

* * *

Nefarious held it in his hand. 

Lawrence stood by the edge, his arms behind his back as usual, waiting.

Nefarious took a deep breath as the deliverer was safely out of range. He said**, "It's nice to be given a chance. For a second there, I thought you'd open fire and kill us."**

There were no smiles from anyone.

"**I joined the organics to get revenge on my stepbrother for all the torment he put me through when we were younger. That's right…when you guys were being spoiled rotten or being lashed by your loving parents, I was getting bullied by someone who I couldn't escape. Hear the first word in 'stepbrother'? STEPbrother…meaning that we weren't blood relatives. I'm sure you know by now that my father was killed by the mafia. I was then stuck with Jeremy after my mother married his father. So…yeah. My life was lived through hate and bullying by a certain costumed imbecile who's name won't be mentioned. Obviously, I was defeated by Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark a year ago. My robot exploded and Lawrence--" **he glared at the butler **"--teleported us to an asteroid by accident. We were stranded. Then….Jeremy attacked, forcing some people to come up with the idea of asking me for help. They managed to find us…….which brings me to say what I said in the beginning: I only joined for revenge. Then I planned betrayal. However…………something happened. Something I dreaded. Despite my hate for the squish--organic life-forms, I began to make friends with them. I got to know some of them, and even thought alongside them……." **his voice lingered.

Everyone starred.

Nefarious went on**, "All throughout the 'adventure', I was thinking about the decision I made. To come along, but become a villain after my stepbrother's defeat. Now, he's been defeated by Ratchet and Clank--as usual--and thousands of guns are aiming at Lawrence and I……"**

Silence, save for the ships' hum.

"**I'm not sure now. My plan was to run into hiding and attack after coming up with a plan, but……..no. A wise robot told me that I should learn to like them. I've made my final decision."**

Lawrence blinked, "You have?"

"Yes," Nefarious didn't speak into the megaphone this time.

* * *

"Hmm, let's hear it then," the Commissioner said. 

The President called a hovering robot, "You, I want you to take me to Nefarious…"

The Commissioner, Lieutenant, and robot looked in shock.

"…..now."

The hovering robot nodded.

* * *

"Hmm, wonder who the wise robot is," Qwark mumbled. 

Courtney, Skrunch, and Slim looked at him like he was stupid.

"What?"

"Nothin'," Slim shook his head with a smirk. "Just watch."

* * *

"This should be interesting," Al said. "Isn't that ri--?" 

"Quiet!" Helga yelled. "I'm trying to listen!"

"Nnngh!" Al frowned and shut up.

Behind them, Sasha stood….watching intently.

* * *

"**I'm staying, cuz I no longer have any urge to destroy organic life-forms. I still have a small dislike for them, but I'll learn to tolerate," **Nefarious finished. He lowered his head, and closed his eyes. He then popped one open and whispered to Lawrence_, "How was that?"_

"I'm surprised you can be so deep," the butler said. "Usually, you're a hothead."

Nefarious smiled a little. Then, he noticed that nothing was happened. It was like the whole universe had frozen.

The, the President came up. He had a small robot pulling him up with its claws. He held his watch out and said, "Could you repeat that into the megaphone?"

"I said I won't attempt or plan any attacks on Solana," Nefarious spoke into the device…………which turned green.

The President smiled and gave a thumb's up to one of the cameras. Soon, every news reporter knew and some of the soldiers began to cheer. Nefarious had turned over a new leaf.

The President gently took the megaphone out of Nefarious' hand and spoke loudly**, "If that is so, then I, the Galactic President, give you full rights as a robotic citizen of the Solana Galaxy, along with a large home on the outskirts of Metropolis."**

More cheering.

* * *

"Yeah!" Slim pumped a fist at the holo-vid. Skrunch mimicked him. 

Qwark grinned. "This'll be interesting."

And Courtney…

She was overjoyed. Her silver face lit up with a beautiful smile.

* * *

Everyone in the galaxy was experiencing the same feeling. Relief could be felt across the cosmos about one insane scientist who had turned good miraculously. Some supporters were disappointed, but were either silenced or just accepted it as a fact. All in all, the galaxy was at piece once again…

* * *

"Awesome!" 

SLAP!

Skidd and Al high-fived as the room erupted with yells of joy.

A few feet away, at her computer, Sasha stood. She couldn't fight back a smirk.

Then…

"Captain! Captain!" a ranger ran up to her, filled with excitement.

"What is it," Sasha kept exposing her pearly whites.

"I've just received a call from the search party!" the robot said quickly. "They've found Ratchet and Clank!"

"W-What?.?.?.?.?" Sasha couldn't believe her ears.

"It's true; they found them A-okay! But they're not alone."

Sasha blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There are three survivors from the crash and explosion."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Wonder who…," she said sarcastically.

* * *

THE STORY ISN'T OVER YET. THERE ARE TWO MORE THINGS TO PUBLISH. THEY WILL BE PUBLISHED AT ONCE. 

Didn't like this chapter? Well, I didn't much either. I just HAD to do it if I wanted to get to the damn point any time soon.

Review, and remember that I'm not done yet. Make sure, you read the last chapter.


	49. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The dropship landed in the Phoenix hanger. Sasha, Al, Helga, Skidd, Bob, and many others awaited the return of the heroic duo. The door-ramp opened, and Ratchet and Clank walked out, flanked by one ranger.

The lombax was in perfect. He was still wearing his Infernix armour (minus the helmet), and was carrying his Omniwrench. However, there was a small breakage of armour around the left hip. Clank walked behind him. He was pretty much the same as before, since he had been placed in Ratchet's watch.

As expected, a cheer rose from the crowd. Several staff members flocked around the duo, either asking questions about the deadly battle, or giving him pats on the back and ruffling his fur. Some fangirls overwhelmed Clank with their hugs….and kisses.

After a few minutes, everyone clamed down, and some dispersed. This gave Sasha the opportunity to approach Ratchet and Clank herself.

"Let me update you on the--" she was interrupted.

"Sasha," Ratchet held his hand up. "Please don't be all 'professional' and military-like right now." He simpered, "That's the last thing I need right now."

Sasha gave a thin smile. "Alright. How...are you?"

"We are fine, Captain," it was Clank who spoke, forcing both of them to look down. "Dr. Heinous was defeated. The galaxy can now relax."

"Heh, I hope so," Sasha relied. She went a little serious, but not unhappy, "Dr. Nefarious was taken to the galactic police department, where he was given a choice."

"Oh yeah?" Ratchet seemed interested. He folded his arms and asked, "How'd it go?"

"Well, you'll never believe that, but…………he decided not to attack organics anymore. He's turned good."

"Wow, that's great," Ratchet said, slightly impressed.

"Indeed," Clank agreed. "This should be quite interesting."

"Where is he--?" Ratchet stopped, because he found himself being hugged by Sasha. She leaned her head over his right shoulder.

She whispered, "Don't ever scare me like that again, hotshot."

"Uh….," Ratchet's cheeks reddened some, "….okay." he accepted the hug by embracing her gently.

"….."

"….."

Clank was polite enough not to interrupt. He just averted his gaze.

"Ahem."

All three looked.

Al, Helga, Skidd, Bob, and a ranger had been standing there the whole time. At the moment, Al had a fist near his mouth, as if he coughed. "The ranger agreed to take us to the Capital."

"Oh!" Sasha jumped out of the hug, causing Ratchet to fall forward but regain his balance before meeting the floor with his face. She cheeks were red as she said, "Let's go."

Everyone made for the ship.

"Coming, Ratchet?" Clank asked, because Ratchet hadn't moved.

"…….Yeah," the lombax breathed.

"What are you doing here?" Sasha asked.

"I'm going ta see Jack," Bob said. "He's my friend too, y'know."

"Fine. Come along," Sasha replied.

* * *

"There you go, Captain Qwark," Jane said. She stood up straight, adjusted her lab coat, and took a few steps back on the laboratory floor. As she put some tools in one of her pockets, she said, Go ahead, and try it." 

Qwark nodded. He was clad in his usual costume. At the moment he was lying down on a table. He swung his legs over and his feet…….._two of them_…touched the floor. In the place of his normal left foot, there was a robotic prosthetic, attached to a metal disk around the stub. Special circuitry connected with nerves, creating a sense of 'feeling'.

He walked, ran, jumped, and landed hard, but the bionic body part didn't even crack out of place. He balanced on his right leg, and twisted his ankle. The metal replacement acted as a normal foot. "I like it," Qwark said with a light smile.

"I'm glad you do," Jane said with a smile. "It's made of pure, stainless titanium. It's virtually indestructible."

Qwark stood on both legs. He grinned, "Now, I can really kick some butt!" he flexed his abdominals.

Jane rolled her eyes. She tuned her attention to the other side of the lab, "How's everything there?"

"Almost done!" A white-coated back was facing her. Someone was hunching over another table. A tall cylinder stood on wheels near the worker. It had several compartments, three of which had robot arms coming out. Whatever was on the end of the arms was obscured from Jane's line of sight by the worker. On the table was a robotic body. The head and most of the chest couldn't be seen either……for the same reason. The sound of electricity, and the flashing of light came from the hidden part.

ZZZZzzzzz-ZZZZZZZTTTTttttTTTTT-TTTTTtttttttttzzzzzz!

A satisfied sigh was heard before Will finally turned around and removed his goggles. He stepped aside, while saying to the one on the table, "C'mon. Show them what Dr. Will has done to you, Miss Gears."

"Don't get so excited," Courtney said as she sat up. The left side of her face was returned to its perfect state. A new golden eye could be seen, and the cracks from Heinous' disk were gone. She smiled her pearly whites, adjusted her red headband and swung her robotic legs over the table. She made for the door.

"Uh, where are you going?" Will asked.

Courtney stopped by Jane's side. She turned around and said, "I called Super Nova Taxi to give me a lift to Metropolis."

"Why are you leaving so soon?" Jane was a bit concerned.

"He's gonna arrive in about ten minutes--"

"No. I mean why so soon?"

Gears gave a small smile, "I wanna see the new house Vince is getting."

"'**Vince'?" **Will and Jane were both confused.

"Nefarious' first name."

"**Ahhh…"**

"Another thing," the ex-pop star said. "…He's gonna let me live with him."

Qwark smirked.

Will and Jane exchanged 'surprised' expressions.

"What?.!" Courtney's upped her arms like a crucifix for but a second. "He's living in a mansion! Up 'til nom, there's only him and Lawrence! There's gotta be more people in there!"

"Riiiiiiiight," Qwark rotated his head, giving a big nod.

Courtney frowned for real, but ignored them. And she was gone.

"Did I say something wrong?" Will asked.

"No, you didn't," Jane shook her head. She turned her attention to Qwark, "Let's go and see your monkey."

"Heh…yeah," the superhero nodded and followed her, walking the same way he normally would.

"Will, you coming?" Jane turned her head slightly.

"I'll wait for Ed."

"Suit yourself."

And they were gone.

Will pressed a button on the cylinder, and all the robot arms went in. He then sat down on the table and waited.

"….."

Silence.

"……"

Whuuuuuuuuuuur-CHTINK!

Will looked up.

A manual, sliding door had opened, and Ed had emerged. There where beads of sweat on his grey forehead. He wiped them away with the back of his hand.

"How is he?" Will asked at he walked over towards the fellow scientist.

"Sleeping like a baby," Ed replied. "Hopefully, we'll find out how he managed to enlarge without using any machinery other than himself."

"Are you sure working on this is a good idea?" Will with a sceptical look.

"Hey…," Ed patted his shoulder with a friendly grin, "...nothing we can't handle."

"But shouldn't we beef up security or something?"

"No need, Will. He can't awaken, 'cause he's completely out of power."

"I suppose."

"Heh-heh. Come on, let's go and see the others off," Ed made for the door and was gone.

Will looked at where Ed came from.

The door was still open.

He slowly approached and reached to close it from its handle.

But he stopped.

"….."

And starred inside.

The room was dark.

The only thing that illuminated it was the green hue from a pod.

Inside the pod, there was a robot.

In suspended animation…….of some sort.

Wires were connected to every limb and led to the top of the pod.

The pod itself was connected from its base, by long pipes, to a large computer that hummed.

Instead of being surrounded by water, the tiny thing inside the pod rested on a metal pedestal to adapt to the shortness of the wires.

Nothing inside the pod moved.

Will starred for a good five seconds. He sighed and said, "Sleep well, Klunk."

He closed the door and locked it from the outside.

Whuuuuuuuuuuur-CHTINK!

And in the pod……

Klunk rested.

………

Klunk slept.

…………

Klunk remained peaceful.

……………

Klunk was undisturbed.

………………………………………

* * *

"Whoa!" Skidd jumped at the sight of Qwark's metal foot. 

"That's--like--the coolest thing I've ever seen."

Everyone was standing outside the Presidential Palace. Four dropships waited nearby, with rangers.

"It's nothing," Qwark waved a large hand. "I mean…..what hero can't suffer for their galaxy? What great hero can't sacrifice their own body so others shall live? What--?"

"Okay," Ratchet interrupted, "we get it."

"Amazing," Al said as he scratched his chin while bending over to examine Qwark's prosthetic. "A mechanism that appears to be exactly like the preceding body part, but isn't, and allows the user to exhibit the sense of touch through a twisted set of nerve endings and circuitry."

A question mark formed on top of Skidd's, Ratchet's, Qwark's, and Bob's.

"Big words omega," Slim uttered.

"Hey, Slim!" Bob went over to him. "How the heck are you?"

"Just fine…"

They wondered away from the crowd.

"Hey, where are Nefarious, Lawrence, and Courtney?" Ratchet asked.

"They went to the new mansion on Planet Kerwan," Will said. He smiled, "_Nefarious'_ mansion."

"A mansion?" Skidd couldn't believe it. "Dudes! We gotta check that place out!"

"Later, Skidd," Sasha said.

Al suddenly checked his watch. He adjusted his glasses and said to the group, "I gotta go and return something to Gadgetron."

"Ahhh oook akkk?"

Qwark translated, "'Is it what I think it is?'"

Helga and Ratchet held back their laughter.

Al frowned, "Very funny. Stop teaching that monkey such rudeness," he pointed. He walked into one of the dropships, and the vessel took off after its door-ramp closed.

"I don't get it, dudes," Skidd said.

"Keep it that way," Jane said with a disgusted frown.

"He's a monkey," Qwark defending Skrunch, who had climbed to his left shoulder. "He can't help it."

"You're telling me," Ed grumbled.

"Ugh, it's good that I have a new foot and all, and Dr. Heinous is gone, but…," Qwark lowered his head in sadness, "……my shuttle is still on Veldin, and probably destroyed."

"Oh please," Ratchet cackled. "You have--like--a million of those in your base on Planet U--" CLAMP! "--MMMMMMMFFFFFFfffffff!"

Qwark put a large hand on Ratchet's mouth, causing him to almost fall over.

He made a tremendously fake smile. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Now, Ratchet, we agreed that you and Clank wouldn't tell anyone, capish?"

Ratchet managed to 'escape' from Qwark's hold. He spat out the taste of latex and said, "Yeah……" he wiped his mouth with the back of his armoured hand. A beat. "Anyway, you're not alone about losing your ship."

"Actually, Ratchet," Clank raised a finger, "we still have the blargian fighter we got from Gemlik Base."

"……..Oh. Guess you ARE alone then, Qwark. Hahaha."

"Y'know, the only reason I'm not hurting you is because you've just lived through an explosion."

"Speaking of explosion," Sasha interrupted politely, "didn't you say that there where another three with you?"

Ratchet only smirked.

* * *

They stood in a typical prison cell. Dull walls with tally marks, a sink, and a bunk bed with no ladder. A translucent blue force field was instead of bars. And in the middle of it all…… 

Raxamis stood, his crystal missing from his chest, an empty hole replaying it……..but he was still 'alive'. He sighed happily, "Do ya smell it, Jeeves?" He 'sniffed the air'.

Albert was testing the faucets of the sink. "If I could still smell, I'd tell you." Instead of his formal butler clothes, he wore an orange T-shirt with matching pants and shoes. The number '25465711' was tagged on the right chest of the shirt. CLINK! One faucet came off. He frowned and attempted screwing it back in.

"Oh c'mon, Jeeves!" Raxamis gave a goofy smile. "Ya gotta look on the bright side of things."

"'Bright side'?.!" Albert ignored the loose faucet and turned his full attention to the other robot. He tried keeping his temper as he said, "Look around you! Master Heinous' plan backfired, the Master himself has been destroyed, we've been incarcerated, and Sandy's been taken to B.T.S. for 'testing'!"

"Not to mention my laser swords being confiscated, by utility belt gone with them, my laser cannons disabled, along with my strength, my power crystal replaced with a stupid battery that will short circuit me if I cause trouble, AND--to top it all off--I've been shackled to a painfully cliché ball and chain!"

KLONK!

The said item was picked up, and let go to fall to the floor. The sphere rolled until it stopped, due to the fact that the other end was fastened around Raxamis' left ankle.

"But I'm looking at the bright side of things!" he annoyingly went on. "Once our sentence ends, we'll be able to start anew, Jeeves."

"We're condemned until we rust away to nothing, Raxamis."

"………………….Errr--"

"And you might as well stop calling me 'Jeeves', seeing that my career as a butler is over."

"You'll always be 'Jeeves' to me……………..Jeeves."

Albert looked fiercely at him and shook a finger, "I thought I explicitly, unequivocally, and unmistakably not to call me--"

"JEEVES-JEEVES-JEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVESSSSSSSSSS!.!.!.!.!.!" Raxamis spread his arms out and sand loud enough to shatter glass. "JEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVESSSSS!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

Albert grimaced and covered his…….'ears'. "STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO TEAR THIS ENTIRE PLACE APPART!"

Raxamis finally stopped. "What?" he simpered. "Don't like my singing?"

"Leave the singing to Courtney," Albert panted.

"Eh, I'm soooooo-oooooooo over her," Raxamis waved a hand. "I think it was when--"

"_Hey, shut up. I'm trying to sleep!"_

"Huh?" Raxamis blinked his orange eyes.

A youthish voice had sounded from one of the next-door cells.

"Who's there?" Raxamis enquired as he leaned against the force field in an attempt to see the speaker.

"_Name's Pincer," _the voice said gruffly. _"And I'm trying to get some damn shuteye. So, I'd appreciate it if you shut the Hell up!"_

"Ahh, you're that thief who was captured by Captain Starshield," Albert stated.

"_Who wants to know?"_

"Well, you pulled several robberies all over Metropolis during our stay in Bog--"

"_Spare me the history lesson……… Hmmm… Say, you weren't with that 'Heinous' guy, by any chance…where you?"_

"Ooooh!" Raxamis gasped happily. He punched the air above him in an excited jump and said, "We're famous!"

"Don't embrace me more, Rax--"

"_Hey, I hate to interrupt your argument, but…..CAN I HAVE SOME FRIKKEN' SLEEP, ALREADY?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"_

"Yeah, sure," Raxamis said to the disembodied voice. "I'm gonna get some sleep myself."

"Me too," Albert added.

"_Good…………………………………………………………………."_

Both robots looked at the bunk bed.

"…….."

"……."

One second passed.

"I get the top bunk." "I get the top bunk."

They faced each other angrily.

"No, me!" Raxamis whispered harshly.

"Negative, Raxamis! Me!" Albert respected the sound barrier also.

"Okay, we'll play Rock Paper Scissors," Raxamis suggested. "The winner gets the top bunk. Read?"

"No," Albert folded his arms maturely, "I won't participate in such childish games for a bed."

Raxamis gave a sideways smirk. "Afraid I'll………beat ya?" he lightly pushed the former butler upon saying the last two words quickly.

Albert glared at him. "No….I'm not."

"Chicken!" Raxamis placed his fists on his hips to mimic wings. He flapped his 'wings' and made circle around him while chanting, "Buk-buk-buk-buk-b-ka!"

"_I thought I said to--!"_

"Sorry!" Raxamis interrupted Pincer's annoyed voice. He looked back at Albert, "Welllllllllllll….?"

Albert sighed, "Fine." He made a fist.

Raxamis did the same.

"One…"

"…two…"

"**Three! Shoot!"**

They yelled the last two words in unison and placed their hands forward to display what they had chosen.

"……"

"……."

"……."

"……."

"………"

"……"

"……."

"………"

"…….."

"……Uhhhh," Raxamis smiled sheepishly at Albert. "How about best two out of three?"

* * *

"Thank ye," He said to a nurse as she walked in the building. 

The assassin walked down the steps of a Megopolis hospital. His right arm was in a blue sling, the remains of the damage done by the car crash. Other than that, he was in his usual armour….which had a big dent in the chest area. His brow was frowned, as if deeply annoyed.

He walked down a pathway, ignoring random citizens. He seemed satisfied when he came to a phone booth.

He entered the claustrophobic structure, and closed the door. He reached into his pocked with his good arm, and pulled out a single Bolt. He inserted it in the slot, dialled a number, and placed the receiver to his head. He waited for the old-fashioned device to reach the chosen frequency.

"………"

Finally, someone answered.

"_Thugs-4-Less Employee Line," _a raspy voice said. It sounded as if that phrase had been uttered several times before.

"Ya, this is Agent J. I'm callin' ta request a lift to HQ."

"_Ahhh, so you did manage to survive," _the voice sounded humoured now.

The thug blinked. "Wha'? Does everyone think I'm dead?"

"_Sorta. Ya didn't report back after you were sent to Endaco."_

"I was in a short-term coma, for Slizzaz' sake. A car came outta nowhere 'n--"

"_I don't need to hear yer story. Where are youz?"_

"Megopolis. I was just released from the biggest hospital, and am now directly in front of it."

"'_Kay. I'll send a dropship to come 'n get ya. Anything else?"_

"No, that's great."

"_I'll see youz soon then."_

The line cut.

Agent J put the phone back in its place. He then exited the booth, closed it, and leaned against it, waiting.

"Struth…," he grumbled to himself, "……almost had 'im that time."

* * *

Their fists touched, then up high and down low, their hands joined as if they were going to thumb wrestle, they pulled, the hands separated, and they pointed at each other with the thumbs outstretched. 

"Nice to see that ya didn't lose your head out there," Mr. M said.

"Eh," Slim shrugged as if it was nothing…….. In fact, he said that, "It was nothin'. Heinous is gone for good."

"Good to know," Mr. M glanced somewhere momentarily. He smirked, "You can come out now."

Clank--frowning--stepped out of the shadows of the alley walls. He didn't like being here one bit.

Mr. M ignored him and sat down on a garbage can. "Guess you managed ta be the hero again, eh, Ratchet?"

"We have to keep up the tradition," the lombax responded from where he leaned against the graffiti-infested wall.

"We're not outta the woods yet," Slim said…….he seemed gloomy all of a sudden.

Mr. M blinked behind his visor. "Watcha mean, Slim?"

"I was told that Heinous made another experiment after me," the tyhrranoid explained. "Experiment 6. I dunno whether it exists, and I have no idea what it looks like, but………..I was told," he repeated, "……that it'll be comin' 'round in three years."

"Heinous told us that too," Ratchet said.

"Indeed, he did," Clank nodded and stepped a little closer to the group. "However, Dr. Heinous also spoke about a 'failsafe' of sorts. He announced that the Heinous name is far from erased from the galaxy."

"And it'll happen in three years."

"I see," the salesman nodded. "So….some kind of backup plan, and a monster are coming three years from now."

"Roughly speaking, of course," Clank droned.

"Of course….."

"Anyway," Ratchet stood up straight. "If this Experiment 6 really returns…..," he looked at everyone--Slim more than the other two, "…..we'll be ready."

"Yup," Slim grinned. "And who knows? Maybe, the other experiments really exist."

"Could be," Mr. M uttered.

"We will do our best to search for them," Clank promised.

"Thanks."

"So…., what're ya gonna do now?" Mr. M asked.

"I'm glad you asked," the tyhrranoid said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of fake eyes. "Slim Cognito's gonna be back in business in the Bogon Galaxy. By now, the buzz 'bout me would have calmed down. So…………..I'm gonna reopen the Ship Shack."

"Heh, good for you," Mr. M congratulated lightly as he got off from the garbage can.

"Yup," Slim pocketed the eyes, and took out a small capsule. He pressed a button on it and threw the item to the ground. A ship began to 'inflate' at a slow rate.

"You're just full of surprises, eh?" Ratchet put his fists on his hips.

"It's what I do best," Slim said as he adjusted his pants.

"Say, guys," Mr. M said. "I just thought of something…. Dr. Heinous called his weapon 'the Biobliterator II', right?"

"Yup."

"Yes."

"Of course."

"I think he made a big mistake," the one from Rilgar said, his lips curving upwards ever so slowly, "cuz Nefarious had already made a Biobliterator II. The one Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark fought on Planet Mylon. Anyway, Heinous misnamed his 'grand weapon' after several hours of working on the damn thing. He should have called it 'the Biobliterator III'."

One second and--

"Sskktksks--AahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

"HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!.!.!.!.!.!"

"Eh-eh-he-he-he-he-heh-eh-h-heee-ee."

--Ratchet, Slim, and Clank laughed at the statement.

"Oh man," Slim whipped a tear away from one eye-stem, "I can't believe I missed that…."

"More like _Heinous_ missed that," Ratchet grinned stupidly.

Clank chuckled once more before calming down.

Mr. M crossed his arms proudly.

A clap of thunder sounded in the background and was ignored.

"Ship's ready," Slim gestured behind him. "Gotta fly. I'll see ya in a few years."

"Later, Slim," Mr. M said.

"I hope to see you again, Slim," Clank said politely.

Slim was about to get in the ship's open cockpit, when--

"Hold on," Ratchet held an arm out.

Slim looked with a questionable stare. "What?"

"I've been meaning to ask you…… How did you become the narrator of the fifth Captain Qwark vid-comic?"

Slim winked a blue eye, "Trade secret." That said, he hopped into the ship, the cockpit lid closed, the vessel hovered, turned around, moved forward slightly, and--SHOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOM!--flew towards the dark sky where it disappeared above the black clouds.

"Hmmm," Ratchet scratched his chin. He turned around. "Do you know Mist--?" he stopped when he realised that Mr. M was gone. "………" He looked down at Clank, "Did you see Mr. M leave?"

"No," Clank shook his head. "I was occupied with Slim's departure."

"I see."

"Let's get back to the dropship," the little robot began walking towards the alley's entrance. "I'm certain that the ranger is getting worried."

"Yeah; guess you're right," Ratchet followed him through the pouring rain of Planet Otlantis.

* * *

"Here you go," Al placed Lawrence's tracker on top of Mr. Krinkle's desk. He smiled at the C.E.O. and added, "Thanks for letting us use it." 

"No problem," Mr. Krinkle gave a lizardy smile. "It comforts me to know that Gadgetron technology was used to save the galaxy once again."

"Actually," Al raised a finger, "if it wasn't for you……things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

"Nonsense. It was the Q-Force and Dr. Nefarious who helped. And that albino tyhrranoid…."

"Jack."

"Yeah, him."

"Be as modest as you want," Al continued. "But there's no denying that you played a major role in this."

"And I'll play a bigger role by giving a fifteen percent discount on all Gadgetron merchandise sold to and/or bought by any Phoenix staff."

"Oh no, sir. That's not necessary."

"It's the least I can do, Al," Krinkle pressed.

"Ah well, if you insist," Al shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see Nefarious' new mansion."

"Ahh," Krinkle smirked. "Enjoy yourself."

"I will."

And Al was gone from the giant office.

* * *

"Miss Cross," a robot said as he approached the lombax. "I'm pleased to report that all the mess has been cleared up." 

Angela glanced up from a portable chair. She was left in charge of the crew to search the remains of the crashed ship on Grelbin. She smiled, "Great. Be ready to move out in ten minutes."

The robot saluted and droned, "Will do, ma'am." It trotted off through the snow.

Angela extracted a small object from a compartment under the chair's armrest, she threw it, and it grew into a floating holo-vid……displaying Mr. Fizzwidget's old, but happy face. _"Yes, Miss Cross?"_

"Mr. Fizzwidget," Angela said as she stood her tall self up. I'm pleased to report that the ship' remains have been removed."

"_Great! It's nice to know that I can rely on you for such tasks," _Abercrombie said, cheerfully. His face that went serious_, "Any luck with the Thugs-4-Less Leader?"_

"No…we didn't find him," Angela announced. "It was assumed that his body must have frozen to death before it hit the snow. And--even if it didn't--he would have sunken in."

"_Guess Thugs-4-Less will have to find another Leader," _the founder's image starched its chin.

"Probably…"

Fizzwidget then brightened with a tiny smile. _"Guess what I've just found out."_

Angela raised a questioning eyebrow. "What?"

"_Dr. Heinous has been defeated, of course. Ratchet and Clank did him in with a well placed bomb. The public has no idea what the weapon was, and Ratchet doesn't seem to want to tell anyone about it either."_

"Wow," Angela grinned, humoured. "They always save the day. The fourth time, now, is it?"

"_Yes-serree, Miss Cross. Heh, Dr. Nefarious, Captain Qwark, Courtney Gears, and that white thing aided as well."_

"Solana can finally rest now……….until another villain rears his ugly head."

"_I'm sure they can handle it. Heh-heh, Fizzwidget out."_

Angela leaned her head to the side, "Huh?"

-blip-

The screen was now black. It kept hovering though, expecting to be used again.

Angela sighed and began to gather her equipment. "Silly old man," she whispered.

* * *

They stood. 

Staring at it.

It was beautiful.

It was huge.

It was perfect.

It was on the outskirts of Metropolis. The countryside……what was left of it.

It was Dr. Nefarious' mansion.

"Unbelievable," it was _Helga_ who said this. Like the others, she was wide-eyed.

The mansion was even bigger than the Presidential Palace, width-wise. It was a four-story structure, completely covered in white. Reflective windows where on every floor. There were balconies, strong enough and big enough to support a snagglebeast. The main door was another swishing one, ten-feet high, five-feet wide, made of dark blue titanium. The ground framed the whole thing with a series of trees, and shaven grass. There were about eight garage doors to the left side. The pathway led to a huge thirteen-spouted fountain of 'Bolts'. And that was only the front.

At the moment, Ratchet, Clank, Al, Skidd, Helga, Lawrence, Qwark, Sasha, Courtney, Nefarious, and Skrunch were standing on the wide pathway. Behind them were a set of tall gates, and behind _those_, Metropolis City could be about half a mile away. Every

"Like it?" Nefarious smirked as he stood in front of the domestic mini-empire. "I'm thinking of turning it into a bigass lab……..with a game room."

"How long will that take?" Qwark asked.

"I'd say about three Kerwan months," the robotic scientist said.

"Say, I have to ask you something," Ratchet took a step forward. "Now that you're good….are you gonna change your name?"

"……"

"Dr. Nefarious," Clank pressed, also inquisitive.

"……………No, cuz that's my name. I've lived with it my whole life."

"Why don't we call you 'Vince', dude?"

"You catch up quick, Skidd," Al faced him.

"It's a gift," the Rilgarian said sheepishly.

"Now that we got that covered, sir," Lawrence droned, "why don't you show them what's on the _inside_?"

"Good idea, Lawrence," Nefarious pointed. He spun around and sauntered. "C'mon," he gave a wave while glancing, 'I wanna show you my room, Lawrence's room………Courtney's room."

For the sake of politeness, no one said anything about that.

They just followed.

Eager to see the new domain.

Of a new scientist.

Dr. Nefarious had changed that day. He would always maintain the same character, but will no longer plot attacks and so on.

Solana could rest another day.

In peace and harmony to a new beginning.

* * *

READ THE APPENDIX IF YOU WANT THE SEQUEL TO HAPPEN. 


	50. Appendix

**Appendix**

This section is divided into five parts. The ones I want you to read most are in **bold**.

Credits  
**Character request  
****Votes  
**Special  
Notes

Credits

Insomniac characters

James Arnold Taylor as Ratchet

David Kaye as Clank

Armin Shimerman as Dr. Nefarious

Michael Bell as Lawrence

Leslie Carrara as Sasha

Chris Hatfield as Al

Mona Marshall as Helga

Jim Ward as Captain Qwark

Neil Flynn as Skidd McMarxx

Melissa Disney as Courtney Gears

James Horan as Slim Cognito

Jim Ward as Skrunch

Michael Bell as Comic Narrator

Sylvia Amerito as Darla Gratch

Neil Flynn as plumber

Chad Einbinder as Mr. M

Julianne Buescher as Help Desk Girl

Steven Jay Blum as Thug Leader

Kath Soucie as Angela Cross

Jim Ward as Abercrombie Fizzwidget

Lindsay Schnebly as the President

David Kaye as clerk

Jim Ward as Scorpio

Chris Hatfield as Soap Actor Lance

Melissa Disney Soap Actress Janice

Michael Hatfield and Chris Bell as the rangers

Steven Jay Blum as Gary

Mona Marshall as Helen

Dee Bradley Baker as Tyhrranoid Momma

Original characters

Ron Perlman as Dr. Heinous

Alastair Duncan as Albert Boltyworth

Greg Cipes as Raxamis

Dee Bradley Baker as Sandy

Colin Murdock as Ed

Ian James Corlett as Will

Kath Soucie as Jane

Dwight Schultz as Agent J

Charles Adler (I) as Mr. Krinkle

Jack Nicholson as Bob

Jesse Corti as Commissioner David

Steven Jay Blum as the Lieutenant

Kath Soucie as Holostar Studios secretary

Will Friedle as Pincer

Alvin Sanders as additional characters

The reviewers

(Without them, this fic would be nothing)

Rynobuster

Ganheim

Catalyst of MSAD51 (also known as 'Andrew Snyder')

Lady Illu

Nezdreg

Delta-62 Scorch

Mr. Grae

Black Rosettes

SLYFOXX

Slyfoxx

(I might never know if those two are the same person)

NEMO

Ninja Blade

Sarge11

NiCkNaCk

captain deoxys

Gruntzilla

jay.w.

hardrockerbig

Gamer619 (also know as Michael Liu)

a-random-r-and-c-fan

Odairu64

Sepro15

Lowlife

Atraiyu

Special thanks to…

Insomniac Games for creating such an amazing videogame

FanFiction for providing a place to write

Rynobuster for giving this story its first review

Ganheim for correcting the mistakes in Chapter One

Gamer619 for giving this story its one hundredth review (he was Michael Liu that time)

Sarge11 for correcting that embarrassing mistake in Chapter Twenty-one

captain deoxys for suggesting the protopet

SLYFOXX for creating Raxamis

Gruntzilla for giving me the idea of Agent J

Black Rosettes for indirectly giving the idea of Sandy enveloping Raxamis' head in her mouth

And, of course, myself

* * *

Character request

It is I, Mr. D 91, asking for help…………………..how manly of me.

Anyway, I need some help for the sequel I'm planning.

Please review this story, or send a personal message.

If you are to enter such a thing, please do it in the following format.

Ahem.

NAME: (Make it easy to remember)  
AGE: (In our years, thank you. If you want, do it in whatever-the-Hell-planet-for-them-years)  
GENDER:  
GALAXY: (You don't have to necessarily make one up)  
REASON FOR COMING TO SOLANA: (Only answer this if the guy's not from Solana)  
PLANET:  
SPECIES:  
APPEARANCE:  
CLOTHING: (Again optional………………………… What? It could be a robot! Sheesh…..)  
SHIP: (Optional, but if there is a ship, then describe it)  
PERSONALITY:  
SPECIALTY:  
ETC: (Make up a history or something. Include miscellaneous stuff I didn't ask for, ramble your intestines off………)

Before subjecting an original character, please note the following:

1. Plan your character. I don't want a bunch of crap given to me for the sake of giving it to me.

2. You can submit more than one. But--if you are going to review--keep in mind that FanFiction gives reviews a limit.

3. Do not expect a lot from him/her/them/it. For all I know, this guy could only appear in one chapter, have a reference, or come in the end.

4. Do not rush me to bring the character in. I'm the author; I decide.

5. Your character might die, your character might be a villain, your character might team up with someone you hate, your character might get castrated. Deal with it.

6. Make sense please. I know this is fiction (hence the website), but everything has its limits. Don't make the person/thing/people/things godlike.

7. I can link your character to another you have made (friend/lover/relative/enemy/etc.).

8. Do not make this character one of the experiments. You know nothing about them.

9. Think this dude/dudette over carefully. No one's rushing you.

10. You might be reading this fic several months/years after I completed it. Visit my profile before attempting. If I'll be taking no more, then I'll place a note, saying so. The not will be removed when the sequel is complete.

Once all those terms are met, be aware that the sequel won't start until I have thought everything out, and until I have a descent amount of characters.

* * *

Votes

The votes have been counted. It appears that more people want RatchetSasha. Disappointed that I didn't give you any? Y'know, there IS gonna be a sequel.

Chapter Five wasn't just for the sake of getting reviews, man.

* * *

Special

The scientist approached the microphone and said, in a plain voice, "Dr. Heinous."

Suddenly another compartment opened from the ceiling and a robotic arm came out and pointed a Devastator at Albert.

Heinous' organic lips parted to speak--

CHIIIIIII-OOOM!

The Devastator missile flew and--

BOOOOM!

--blew Albert to smithereens.

Heinous starred at the remains. He muttered, "Should have worked the bugs out of that thing."

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

In front of several wide-eyed people, Nefarious hung…struggling with his alter ego.

"Y'know what, Mr. Nice?"

_Skkskskst!_

"What?"

_Skkssts!_

"You suck."

_Skkssts!_

"Hehehe. Love you too."

_Skkssts!_

"I hate you."

_Skkssts!_

"Awwwwww! You're just saying that, cuz you really love me."

_Skkssts!_

"I like you as much as I like squishies!"

_Skkssts!_

"How cute, a monkey!"

Skrunch waved nervously.

_Skkssts!_

"Don't change the subject, you pansy!"

_Skkssts!_

"Did you just call me a flower? I love flowers!"

_Skkssts!_

"Oh, go bite on an ameoboid's ass."

_Skkssts!_

"Hooray! We can do it together!"

_Skkssts!_

"MAKE HIM STOP!"

And everyone continued staring.

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

"There we go," Agent J said as a Vaporizer electronically materialized in his hands.

He flattened himself, being protected from the cold snow by his armour. He crawled to the edge of the roof…on an extended piece of ice, and took aim. The back of Ratchet's helmet was visible. The assassin smirked.

"Say 'cheese', you mangy marsupial."

His finger tightened around the trigger, and--

_**POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

SPLORCH!

Ratchet's head exploded, showering blood all over the snow.

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

On Planet Aquatos, Ratchet, Clank, Raxamis and Albert starred at Slim's person.

In front of them stood the biggest piece of dairy ever imaginable. A giant piece of cheese, holes and all. Two stick-like, black legs supported the yellow food. The top part bent upwards to make space for two bulbous eyes.

"H-Hi," Slim the cheese said.

Everyone starred.

"Great," Albert placed a palm over his 'heart', "just what I need: More cholesterol."

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

Agent J sat in a rowboat. He put the oars down and searched in his Storage Watch for a descent weapon.

"………."

He found one.

"Bingo," the thug smirked.

He had equipped the Vaporizer again.

He flattened himself against the wood and popped his head and weapon over the edge.

The side of Ratchet's face was visible.

Agent J tongued his cheek.

"You won't get away this time, you slippery, little marsupial."

His green finger tightened around the trigger, and--

_**POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

SPLORCH!

Ratchet's head exploded, showering blood all over the floor.

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

**PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHWOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!**

Missiles flew.

Some hit Clank, damaging him a little. The giant robot jumped up high.

**PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PH-PHWOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!**

During his decent, he shot missiles of his own.

Just like Clank, Sandy was hit a few times. The gargantuan, robotic sand shark jumped backwards over a few buildings.

Clank landed in front of her and decided to hit her with his own fists. Sandy did the same.

They locked claws and strained to over power.

A beat.

**"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!"**

They both looked, including Ratchet and Nefarious.

An enormous dinosaur was standing on top of a building. She starred over the two robots.

**"RAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"**

Everyone looked.

CRUSH! RUMBLE!

A giant, black turtle had just finished destroying two buildings. The behemoth let out another roar, and charged.

_**STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!**_

The dinosaur did the same.

_**STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!**_

They were seeing right through Sandy and Clank, who stepped aside to allow their fight.

When they collided, they let out roars and bit/scratched/punched/kicked/swiped/pawed at one another.

Everyone else starred.

_"Cool!" _Raxamis' voice boomed from inside Sandy. _"Godzilla and Gamera! Absolutely aces!"_

_"Shut up, Raxamis….," _Heinous' voice muttered.

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

Agent J finished the last Choochi Bar. He tossed it over his shoulder and--yes--missed for the fifth time. He belched and lightly fisted his chest.

He equipped a Vaporizer and took aim.

"….."

The hotel was directly in front of the building he was on. Ratchet's head was visible and distinguishable.

He tongued his right cheek.

"Ya won't get away this time, ya rodent."

He pulled the trigger and--

_**POW!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_

SPLORCH!

Ratchet's head exploded, showering blood all over the balcony.

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

Inside the collector ship, Slim and the Thug Leader talked.

"If you want my opinion," Slim began, "I'd say bull."

"You've said it about four times tonight," the glowing Leader droned, his eye twitching.

"But that's just it! Ace Hardlight is just dead. He disappeared years ago! Not even I know where he is!"

"Oh really? Just wait for a year to pass."

"What'll happen?"

"Ratchet and Clank will get abducted and will be forced to compete in an underground reality show called 'Dreadzone'."

"I'm with you."

"They'll have to fight several different opponents, including Ace Hardlight himself."

"I thought that guy was dead," Slim looked sceptically.

The Leader sighed, "All will be reviled in Deadlocked."

"Huh?.?.?.?.?.?"

"Just give it some time. Clank will no longer be used. A lot the platformer elements will be removed."

"Riiiiight."

"Now that that's done, do you think that Crash has been going on for too long?"

"Well, not really. It wouldn't be sucking so badly if Naughty Dog didn't give the game away."

"That always happens when a game is given away to another company."

"Yup. Ever hear of Spyro the Dragon?"

"In my opinion, the best game was 'Year of the Dragon'."

"I'll say."

"Insomniac gave it away for Ratchet and Clank."

"Pffft! This isn't a game!"

"If you say so, E5."

"And what about Mario? That plumber's been at it for years."

"Nintendo characters are of no concern to me……."

"Feh."

"Which brings me to the Xbox 360."

"Ahhhh," Slim smirked. "Quite a console, eh?"

"Then there's the PS3."

"Mmhmm."

"And the N-Gage."

Slim gasped….then frowned, "Don't you even mention that!.!.!.!"

"I feel your hate for it. It's worse than Experiment 6."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Certainly. Have you noticed how farfetched Xiaolin Showdown has become?"

"Tell me about it," Slim rolled his eyes. "Some of the new Shen Gong Wu are just plain stupid!"

"Indeed."

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

Skrunch hang onto Qwark's left shoulder as the superhero pounded robotic ninjas in the Courtney-music-video-remake-arena.

Qwark punched forward.

WHAP!

The ninja was pushed off the arena.

Skrunch had also been launched from the force. He pulled on Qwark's antenna and was sprung back to the left shoulder.

FLASH! FALSH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Six ninjas appeared suddenly, equipped with laser swords.

Qwark growled, and………………………….something supernatural happened.

The superhero hunched over and breathed heavily. Purple sparks shot out from nowhere. His skin changed to grey-purple. Horns sprouted from his head, tearing holes in the suit. Like his suddenly sharpened teeth, he grew claws. Thick black claws that--like the horns--ripped holes in the costume. He shook as his eyes deepened and were soon replaced with mad solid-black optics. He finally stopped, and starred, purple sparks dancing around his body.

The ninjas were frozen. Possibly fear?

Skrunch wasn't afraid. In fact, he was leaning over Qwark's shoulder with a hiss.

Silence.

_"Uuuuhhh, Uncle?"_

_"I see him, Raxamis……"_

_"Should we do something?"_

_"I don't know--"_

**"Raaaaaaaaah!" **SWOOOOSH!

In just one second, Dark Qwark lunged forward and sliced a ninja in five separate peaces.

CL-CLANK! KONK! KON-NK!

It fell apart.

The other ninjas starred.

Dark Qwark growled, jumped, and came down with a fist….creating a powerful purple wave.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

(SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKTTTTTTTTTT!)

* * *

Notes

I've spent since May on this thing. It was planned from the beginning………..minus the few ideas I put in curtsey of reviewers.

I was supposed to finish by the end of Summer, but I was busy then.

So, is there a sequel coming? The reviewers decide on that. I'm not talking about a 'yes' or a 'no'; I'm talking about characters! The more the merrier. Yes, I'll require them if anyone wants to find out who and what the other experiments are.

Please note that Deadlocked never happened, so I'll include Starshield.

The story might drift away from the subject, but it'll get to the point….eventually.

Just don't rush me to get to the point or anything, m'kay? I'll think hard. If I need help in plotlines, I'll speak to a selected reviewer personally.

As for a name to the sequel, I really haven't a clue. I was thinking of _Six _as a title. I'm working on it, dude.

I'm gonna take a long break now.

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One more thing: the sequel mightn't be the next fanfic I publish. I have others in mind.

-Mr. D 91


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